The Cale Storyline
by Richard B. Sampson Jr
Summary: The Cale Storyline is a series of adventures that are focused around Generation X. The whole chain will cover from after issue 23 to when the school closes. All 16 stories are now in this story.
1. Chapter Summaries

**The Cale Storyline**

**The Cale Storyline, as it was dubbed at Kindred Spirits, is a alternate path the comic could have taken. The first story takes place right after issue #23. It starts with the introduction of Richard Cale to the school. Even though it started as only a one shot story to make Penance speak, I have enjoyed writing these stories. In time, I will have every story chapters and part of this fan-fiction.**

**Story 1) Changes**  
**Summary: The first story based off Marvel Comic Generation X. It introduces Richard Cale, a mutant whose ability to fully mimic a mutant leads to changes for most of Generation X, especially Penance. The happy change starts to go sour when Emplate has zeroed in on the new mutant.**  
**Chapter 1: Change - In the wake of Onslaught, a new mutant asks to join the Xavier School. Now, the students prepare for this new arrival.**  
**Chapter 2: First Impressions - Richard Cale arrives at the school, but it appears that Generation X is not the only one expecting his arrival. Now as he meets the class, one of the students has a dramatic effect on him.**  
**Chapter 3: Fear Of The Unknown - After a first encounter with Penance, Richard Cale learns more about the school, and learns about someone who had almost encountered him at the airport.**  
**Chapter 4: Understanding - As Rich's tour continues, he has another encounter with Penance. Also, the other students start to learn about the knew member in there group.**  
**Chapter 5: Breakthrough - The relationship between Rich and Penance continues to grow, especially as Rich starts to fit in.**  
**Chapter 6: Unwelcome Intrusions - Nightmares abound and soon, two student awaken and meet in the early morning hours. Also, someone learns how much trust is important to the new student.**  
**Chapter 7: Bonding - Richard learns more about the students as he meets with them one on one. However, as he learns about them, they learn about him.**  
**Chapter 8: Bonding II - More is learned about Richard Cale, and more is learned about their more mysterious student. Also, Penance comes more out of her shell than she had before.**  
**Chapter 9: Calm Before The Storm - The students enjoy a nice meal out, but that little trip does not go unnoticed. Also, Penance's communication lessons continue in a positive direction.**  
**Chapter 10: Enter: Emplate - As Penance speaks for the first time, the good mood of the day is cut short when Emplate begins his attack on the school.**  
**Chapter 11: Under The Influence - Emplate is successful and captures all of Generation X. Now, he plans to use Rich's power for his own gain. But, can Rich stop his plan?**  
**Chapter 12: Triumph - Just when Emplate gets the upper hand, Generation X turns the tables on him, with the help of their newest student, and Yvette.**  
**Chapter 13: Skitz - When Emplate is gone, things start to calm down, and Richard Cale joins the team.**

**Story 2) Truth Be Told**  
**Summary: Second story of the Cale storyline. It reflects on the events that lead to a severe depression in Skitz, when he uses lethal force to stop an enemy, and then finds out a relative he thought was dead was still very much alive.**  
**Chapter 1: Tradegy - The events of the past month have hit their newest student very hard. Now Jean and Scott are called in to try and help Skitz recover from what had happened.**  
**Chapter 2: Sean's Story - Sean relates the events that started things off, as Sean tells the tale of a fake Mondo is discovered.**  
**Chapter 3: Jono's Story - Jonothan continues the tale, as he tells of the fake Mondo's near fatal attack at being discovered.**  
**Chapter 4: Yvette's Story - Yvette tells her part, about the discovery of Black Tom Cassidy, to the attack that lead to his death.**  
**Chapter 5: Angelo's Story - Angelo now gets his turn to speak, and he tells of the deadly retaliation to the attack on Penance.**  
**Chapter 6: Jubilee's Story - Jubilee now gets to tell of the attack of Bastion, and the secret that was revealed during that time.**  
**Chapter 7: Emma's Story - Emma relates the final events that caused Richard Cale's depression, as they hear the tale of Bastion's death.**  
**Chapter 8: Monet's Story - Monet reveals the facts that Richard was in a dangerous state, as she tells of Rich's attempt to turn himself over to Emplate.**  
**Chapter 9: Recovery - After the tale is told, Generation X, Scott and Jean work to help Richard recover.**

**Story 3) Relatively Dangerous**  
**Summary: The third story of the Cale storyline. Emplate enlists the help of someone who hates Richard Cale, and they attack just as the school is about to get a new student. Now can Generation X arrive in time to save thier teammates, and who is this mystery attacker?**  
**Chapter 1: Trust - A new evil joins forces with Emplate, and Rich's nightmares hint at the upcoming attack. Now, Rich allows Emma to glance at his nightmare.**  
**Chapter 2: Family Secrets - As Generation X prepares for the arrival of another new student, Rich reveals what he knows about this new attacker to the only person he dare tells this secret to.**  
**Chapter 3: Dreams Do Come True - As Generation X leaves to pick up the new student, Aura attacks. Now as Paige is defeated, how long can Skitz and Penance last before Aura gains the upperhand.**  
**Chapter 4: Revealed Truths - As Aura is defeated, Generation gets to learn some truths about their members, but is this the end of Aura or just the beginning.**

**Story 4) Stranger And Stranger**  
**Summary: As the Cale storyline hits it's fourth story, Godiva Cale is introduced. An ecentric museum owner, Godiva gives call to Generation X. The reason for her call is unknown to here, but it is apparent to another that Emplate is there. Now Generation X wonders if this is another of Emplate's traps for Skitz and Penance.**  
**Chapter 1: Decisions - A call from Rich's cousin lead into another encounter with Emplate. The only problem is can they get their before Emplate attacks others, or is it just a trap.**  
**Chapter 2: Godiva's Museum - As they arrive in Easton, they get a grand tour of Godiva Cale's museum. As they tour, they learn how easy it is for danger to hide in the place.**  
**Chapter 3: Trapped - As Generation X figures out what to do, Skitz and Penance disappear. Their actions prompt Emplate to trigger his trap.**  
**Chapter 4: Backfire - With everyone seperated, Rich and Yvette take steps to insure their safety. However, their own steps to save themselves lead to increasing the danger of their situations.**  
**Chapter 5: Emplate Wins - As Generation X takes steps to get in to the room when Emplate is hiding, their actions may end up leading to Emplate's success.**

**Story 5) Reflections On The Emplate War**  
**Summary: At the end of the Stranger and Stranger, Skitz and Penance were apparently abducted, but a wrinkle in space and time has prevented their abduction at the hands of a mysterious boy from they very future their abduction had created. What was his motives, and who is he?**  
**Chapter 1: A Savior Appears - Due to the arrival of a mysterious new indivdual, Skitz and Penance are saved. Now, during a short stop at the X-Mansion, we learn the identity of this mysterious hero, with the help of Beast and Bishop.**  
**Chapter 2: Friend Or Foe - While the secrets of Darrett are unveiled, Generation X must now help calm down their nearly abducted teammates. Now, Jean Grey must help Penance recover, while Wolverine must help subdue an irate Skitz. Plus, a special surprise is in store for Penance**

**Story 6) Catch A Sound Wave**  
**Summary: With the sixth installment, a demented mutant that Skitz helped put away long ago breaks out of prison. Now his quest for vengence leads him to snow valley. Can Generation X stop this mutant, and his mysterious employer, "Big Blue."?**  
**Chapter 1: Jailbreak - Due to a janitor, the villian known as Soundwave escapes from prison. Now he plans to get revenge on the person who sent him to prison.**  
**Chapter 2: Bonds Of Trust - As news reaches the school of Soundwave's escape, relationship grow stronger through trust. But, as the bonds of trust grow, Soundwave gets word from his boss, 'Big Blue', and Monet starts to struggle with issues of her own. Also, Darrett's powers are discovered.**  
**Chapter 3: Close To Home - The truth of Darrett's ability is learned, and some of Soundwave's background is reveal. But as Generation X prepares, Soundwave sneaks into the X-Mansion, and stops one of the X-Men in an embarassing way.**  
**Chapter 4: Rhapsody's Finale - Soundwave attacks the school, stopping almost everyone of Generation X. However, when Soundwave is almost victorious, it is Chamber and Banshee who stop him.**

**Story 7) If I Had A Delerium**  
**Summary: With the seventh installment, Skitz gets on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, however someone is watching who feels he has a score to settle with Skitz. Now the final question is, can Generation X stop something that is "Unstopable"?**  
**Chapter 1: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? - On the set of the famous game show, Richard Cale tests his luck and knowledge to win money, but a big moment is cut short when he falls ill.**  
**Chapter 2: Visions of the Past, Tales of the Future Part I - Generation X finds out about a ailment that hits the Cale family called the Cale Delerium. However, as Emma and Yvette help Rich get better, an old foe of the X-Men starts heading to the school.**  
**Chapter 3: Visions of the Past, Tales of the Future Part II - As Generation X works to prepare for an attack from Juggernaut, they learn more about Darrett's power and Rich's past. However, Monet is still struggling with one issue.**  
**Chapter 4: Visions of the Past, Tales of the Future Part III - More of Rich's past is revealed, especially how Rich somehow knew the background of Monet's family, however, it is still a past he doesn't remember. Will all the facts they have learned be for nothing when Juggernaut finally arrives?**

**Story 8) Hunted**  
**Summary: One being has a quest to rid the world of Emplates. He is an Emplate, but cannot totally break free. He feels death is the only release. Now he is after Penance, but he has to deal with Generation X to get to her.**  
**Chapter 1: Marked For Death - After an attack on someone in England, Yvette starts having nightmares. Soon, D.O.A. arrives with a message for Penance, but this time, Emplate is not the real threat.**  
**Chapter 2: Locked On - As Hunter gets closer to the Xavier School, Emplate offers Penance a chance at safety. However, Generation X won't let her condemn herself. However, someone else may help Emplate get his true goal.**  
**Chapter 3: Liberation - Generation X prepares to defend their teammates, but Hunter gets the drop on all them. Now, the only person who can save them, is someone who wants to turns wants to betray them.**

**Story 9) Tradition**  
**Summary: Tradition hold many things together. When Skitz's parents die, he must uphold a family tradition, and Penance goes with him to England. In the mean time, Emplate and Soundwave take this oppertunity to plan a strike on Generation X just as Skitz returns, but is everyone ready for the one change Tradition dictates.**  
**Chapter 1: Coming of Age - Everyone gives Skitz a birthday party, but it's not a day of cheer as he learns of his parents death, making him the new patriarch of the Cale family.**  
**Chapter 2: Homecoming - Richard and Yvette depart from the school and head to England, to learn more about the Cale family. However, as they make their way to England, another Generation X member is having personal issues.**  
**Chapter 3: Inherited Power - Richard and Yvette arrive in England, and they start to learn the background of Richard's family.**  
**Chapter 4: Threads Of Fate - Back in the states, Generation X starts to prepare for some company. In England, more about the Cale family is learned. With all the changes, something is on the horizon.**  
**Chapter 5: More Memories - In the states, Generation X prepares for company, but the school discovers some financial difficulties. In England, Richard and Yvette discover that the Cale's aren't the only ones with family secrets.**  
**Chapter 6: Search for the Truth - In England, Richard and Yvette discover a danger encounter is in the future. Back in the state, Generation X's company arrives, and they learn that they are not the only ones who got company. It appears even Emplate has company arriving.**  
**Chapter 7: Unexpected Developments - In England, Richard and Yvette receive a pleasent surprise. In the states, Monet has help dealing with internal demons. However, things get more dangerous as Soundwave become a player in all that happens.**  
**Chapter 8: Deadly Alliance - A week of time has almost passed, and three forces are centering at the Xavier School. Can a disasterous outcome be adverted?**

**Story 10) Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury**  
**Summary: Adrienne Frost is a business woman no one should mess with. However, if she want's something, she will do anything to get it. This makes her a prime addition to Hellfire. When she fails to land a deal with Skitz, she sends out someone to eliminate him. Now Generation X, with help from the X-Men, must stop a hitman.**  
**Chapter 1: Secret Meetings - After gaining her new title, Adrienne Frost decided to get in touch with the head of Paladin Technologies. However, an early morning call tells Richard Cale that something is not right in the world.  
Chapter 2: Special Guests - Before Generation X heads into a training session, they receive some very special guests. Some of those guests, however, are not invited.  
Chapter 3: Intense Training - It's old school vs. new school. Now, an intense training session gets cut short when another visitor arrives.  
Chapter 4: A Faux Meeting - Adrienne Frost arrives to recruit Skitz to the Hellfire Club. However, the meeting she has doesn't go the way she wanted it to go.  
Chapter 5: Butting Heads - Past events come to light, and two hot tempers almost explode into a nasty fight.However, can it be defused before the training session can continue.  
Chapter 6: Exhaustive End - As the training session comes to a close, Darrett's ability causes some injuries. However, the exhaustive end doesn't prepare them for one surprise.  
Chapter 7: New Powers - Everyone learns that Penance has another power, a Healing Factor. However, will this news be enough for what's to come.  
Chapter 8: Lashing Out - Adrienne had sent a very dangerous hitman, Victor Creed. Now the X-Men and Gen X fight to stop him before he kills anyone there.  
Chapter 9: Consequences - With Sabertooth defeated, the members of Generation X must deal with the fall out. However, they don't know the extent of the fall out.  
****  
Story 11) Old Threat, Old Face, New Threat, Old Face**  
**Summary: A new force of villians are striking against Generation X. Who are they, and what diabolical mind has this force orchestrating raids on Emma Frost's company, and Skitz's company. And how does their leader know how to strike at Generation X****  
****Chapter 1: Preparing for New Attacks - As the latest attack happens at Paladin Technologies, Generation X prepares for a new student.  
Chapter 2: Corperate Mysteries - Mysteries arise about things at Paladin Technolgies, and the newest student at the school has many mysteries about herself.  
Chapter 3: Fresh Attacks Start - A new attack happens, this time at the school and leaves two victims in it's wake. However, the mysteries continue at Paladin Technologies.  
Chapter 4: Old Face, New Foe - The truth behind the attacks is revealed as Generation X discovers the leader and members of their new foes.  
Chapter 5: Don't Blink - Generation X nearly losses many team members, if not for the sudden return of an old friend, from another timeline. **

Story 12) That's What It's All About  
**Summary: In the known existance, there is a world called the Mojoverse. It is ruled by Mojo. He cares about one thing, ratings. His spy satellites have picked up the exploits of the mutants of Generation X, and now Generation X will be his next ratings gimick, with the help of 5 horror/sci-fi movies.****  
Chapter 1: Too Real TV - Mojo has discovered the crew of Generation X. Now, while they go about things as usual, Mojo sends in someone to capture the team for his uses.  
Chapter 2: Getting the Contestants Ready - As the students start a new day, Mojo's spy is discovered. Unfortunately, she gets the upper hand, and soon all of Generation X fall in to Mojo's trap.  
Chapter 3: A Walk Through The Park - Mojo explains his show now only to his contestants, but to Jubilee and Skitz. Now, their friends must run through Jurassic Park to get to them, but that's only the beginning.  
Chapter 4: The Mojo's Curse - After Generation X survive a run through Jurassic Park, Jubilee and Skitz try to send them a warning of a traitor in their midst. Of course, before they can get the message, they must get past Imhotep.  
Chapter 5: A Big Problem, Many Small Ones, and a Tall Man - Mojo starts to get upset as Generation X passes another set. However, he learns something that makes him change his plans. However, Generation X find out his new plans and must out run one of the most persistant evils ever.  
Chapter 6: New Sight To The Darkness - After surviving another movie, Mojo's plans start to unravel, especially when he learns of Penance's and Skitz's mental link. Now, Generation X walks through the dark world in Pitch Black, and the sabatoge that happens could be fatal.  
Chapter 7: An Alien World - Generation X has reached the final movie, and Mojo sets for a plan that will make them his permanent guests. Now, as they enter the movie of Aliens, the sabetour is discovered by Penance.  
Chapter 8: End of the Game - Penance fights Mojo's lacky before the situation can get worse. As that fight ends, Generation X makes a run for the exit, only to find some surprises waiting for them at the end.  
****  
Story 13) Win Some Lose Some**  
**Summary: After the incident on Mojo world, Generation X finds itself in a jam when two different foes attack at once. Now the only question will be what will be won, and what will be lost.  
Chapter 1: Bad News Coming - Two weeks since the incident with Mojo, and omens start to show something big is going to happen. Signs of this is discovered by Grimore, but incoming visitors also increase the unease that starts to appear.  
Chapter 2: A New Partnership - The reasons for Claudette's partnership becomes evident, and a second plan starts to form. Also, the four girls are introduced to Generation X as well as Cartier learns what happened to Monet.  
Chapter 3: Reaching Out For Answers - As Emplate's involvement is learned, Generation X attempts to lock down all communications, thinking a traitor is among them. However, some serious issues are discussed, which may effect everyone.  
Chapter 4: Bad Omens About The Day - Claudette prepares for their next attempt, as the mysterious member reports on activites. However, a worse nightmare tips off to everyone, especially the psychics, that something evil  
is about to happen.  
Chapter 5: Setting A Trap In Motion - Claudette and her group set a trap into motion, capturing Yvette, and setting in motion a plan to kill Skitz, and her father.  
Chapter 6: Abducted - News of Yvette's abduction reaches Rich. The team then devides, a large group to take on Claudette and her group, and the smaller to protect the four girls.  
Chapter 7: Assult on Claudette - Two assults begin, Generation X on Claudette, and Emplate on Generation X. However, as Generation X attacks Claudettes group, they learn the truth about Claudette's latest partners.  
Chapter 8: A Hollow Victory - Emplate attacks Generation X's home, and succeeds in his task. Generation X also succeeds at freeing Yvette, however the cost is very high. ****  
****  
Story 14) Iron X - cowriten by Richard Palmer, whose characters appear in this story**  
**Summary: After the events of Win Some, Lose Some, Generation X gets a chance to see Iron Chef. However, someone has a nasty plan in the works, and deception is in the recipe. Can Generation X thwart the plans of this new villian?  
Chapter 1: A New Foe Manipulated - A new plan is in the works, as an foe of Generation X makes one of their own the target of another person. In the states, however, Generation X gets a chance to go overseas and watch the popular show, Iron Chef, in person.  
Chapter 2: A Quick Departure - As the villians arrive in Japan, they realize that they aren't alone. Meanwhile, the members of Generation prepare to head to Japan, but learn that more people are expecting them there.  
Chapter 3: Watching The Prey - As everyone arrives in Japan, they soon learn that they are being watched. They also learn that their foe has secrets of their own to share.  
Chapter 4: Unnerving Meetings - The day of the show, and several people are holding secret meetings. These meetings will have an effect on everyones futures.  
Chapter 5: Iron Chef Assult - The taping of the show goes remarkable well, until 'The Hand' shows up. At this point, everyones plans get screwed up, much to everyones surprise.  
Chapter 6: Regroup With New Allies - After the incident at the show, Generation X meets up with two new allies, and must now rescue their captured teammate.  
Chapter 7: Truth Revealed - As the rescue attempt occurs, the foes realize that they were being used from the start. Now can everyone save face?  
****  
Story 15) Destiny**  
**Summary: A dangerous advesary has set things in motion to rid himself of someone he views as dangerous in Generation X. Now as he leads them into a trap, the rest of Generation X must rescue them, as well as a few others in the process.  
****Chapter 1: Unexpected Surprises - What starts out as a normal day becomes unusual when a call for help comes in. Now, Skitz and Penance are running head first into a dangerous trap.  
Chapter 2: New Freedoms - Claudette, who is working with a new partner, gains a new freedom. Soon, she and her partner have three prisoners.  
Chapter 3: Prisoner of Evil - Skitz and Penance find themselves prisoners of Claudette and Apocolypse. Now Generation X rushes to find them.  
Chapter 4: Foe To Friend - Generation X gets unexpected help as they go to storm the lair. However, will they get to them before the Dark Beast preforms some experiments on two of his prisoners.  
Chapter 5: Fight To Finish - Skitz must survive a fight for his life, however, he is lucky to have someone come to his aid. However, with the outcome of the battle, Generation X's days are numbered.  
**

**Story 16) Class Dismissed**  
**Summary: With a wedding and the school closing all happening soon, Generation X prepares to move on from school. Some plan to join the X-Men, and others have jobs. However, Emplate decideds the students can't go yet.****  
Chapter 1: Plans Set Into Motion - It's the school's final days, and several plans for the future are being put in place. However, some of these plans contradict each other.  
Chapter 2: Revealing One's Roots - As the wedding preperations continue, Darrett reveals his biggest secret to the people he's hidden it from. Also, some of the X-Men arrive, one seeking for a way to discover there roots.  
Chapter 3: Nighttime Talks About The Future - As everyone retires for the night, they speak about the future including what they will do, and where they will go. However, they are not the only ones talking about the future.  
Chapter 4: Discovery In The Wee Hours - In the morning hours, several things that are meant to be know to a few are found out by others. However, it leads to more problems instead of solutions.  
Chapter 5: Evil Truths Revealed - As a corperate changeover takes place, a shocking secret is revealed. Also, as evil plots, another truth is revealed.  
Chapter 6: Rehersal Jitters - As the rehersal happens for the wedding, several taxing events happen. One of these events takes a toll on some of the psychic mutants, while another makes a blow on one of the guests.  
Chapter 7: Questions Answered - After Rich and Godiva return, many questions are answered, about what happened in Japan, and what happened earlier in the day. However, the important question about the outcome of the final day are still unanswered.  
Chapter 8: The Big Day Begins - The final day begins, and everyone is getting ready for the wedding. The groomsmen assemble, the bridesmaids meet, and the guests file in. However, there are some uninvited guests arriving.  
Chapter 9: A Wedding Ends In Chaos - As the wedding end, Kyuukai's power starts to effect all the psi's. However, that's just a precursor to the real attack.  
Chapter 10: Chaos Erupts - The wedding turns into a nasty battle, however, just as it looks bad, Generation X turns things around, but they final outcome will be decided elsewhere.  
Chapter 11: Departures - Skitz and Emplate have a final battle on the roof of the school. It's end determines the outcome of the school. **


	2. Change

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 1 Change 

The phone was ringing. Sean Cassidy, headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, ran into his office and answered it. "Hello, Sean Cassidy speaking." 

A young man's voice on the other end spoke, "Hello, Mr. Cassidy. Am I correct in assuming that I have reached the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters?" 

"Aye, that is correct. May I ask why?" 

"Mr. Cassidy, I'm a mutant wondering about enrolling in the school." 

"How do you know that you are a mutant, lad?" 

"Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard about mutants that can mimic powers?" 

"Aye, we have one like that here." 

"I take it to the extreme. I can mimic abilities, as well as personalities." 

"Are you saying that you can mimic a mutant yur near?" 

"In simple terms, yes. Change is inevitable, doubly so for me. I have a relative that has the mutant ability to project future events. After some time with them, I mimicked that ability and their personality. It was a very strange experience. Although, the reason I called was because of the Onslaught ordeal. 

"I see, but how did you avoid detection of Sentinels and other devices specified for detecting mutants?" 

"When ever my ability is neutral, I can avoid detection. One time, I stood about ten feet from a sentinel and it just avoided me." 

"Well, but are you afraid of your ability. That is usually the reason some of me students have joined." 

"Fact. My mutant ability causes me to mimic personalities, as I mentioned before. I'm afraid that I may lose my personality in the process. And in some cases, I almost do. Sir, I hate to cut this short, but I must get ready. My plane leaves in a while and it is quite a drive to get to the airport." 

"Okay, lad. I shall pick you up at the airport, with a couple of my students." 

"NO! I'm sorry sir, but I would be grateful if you wait for me, alone. I want the students to meet the real me first. I should be easy to identify, all in black, about 21, but could you describe yourself so I can find you with little trouble." 

"Okay, I have orangish hair, a slight goatee and I'll be wearing a Celtics jacket." 

"Alrighty then. I shall arrive at Logan Airport, on flight 341 from Newark. See you in a couple of hours." 

He hung up. He didn't even say his name. He decided to call Scott and find out if the X-Men had contacted him or not. 

* * *

Sean ran over to Emma's quarters as if there was no time left in the world. But the call he had just received had struck him as odd. As he arrived, Emma opened the door and said, "Something wrong?" with a sly smile on her face. He couldn't tell if she had read his mind or not. Of course, if she did, he didn't have to remind her that she would regret it. He had already told 'er once back when Penance had arrived. 

"Nae, just more of a shock. I just received a call from a lad, 'bout Jono's age. He said that he is a mutant and wishes to join the school." 

"This surprises you, Sean. Maybe the X-men contacted him." 

"Nae, when I asked Scott about the lad. He said that for some reason, the lad could nae be detected. It was as he was nae a mutant, yet he was." 

"That is indeed strange. Did you agree to let this boy enroll?" 

"Emma, if he is a mutant, he is free to enroll. Tis odd tho, how he seems to dodge mutant detection devices. He even said that he stood about 10 feet from a Sentinel and wasn't even threatened by it." 

"That is odd. But, how does he know he is a mutant?" 

"He said, and I quote, 'Change is inevitable, doubly so for me.' Afterward, he told me about a mutant in his family. This mutant had the ability to project images of the future. He said that after a short time with them, he mimicked their ability, as well as his relative's personality." 

"You mean to say that this boy may be able to mimic other mutants." 

"Aye, and he said that he wants to help people, instead of letting his ability harm people, or other mutants." 

"And if Apocalypse or even worse, Emplate, finds out about this mutant, everyone could suffer. How soon will he get here?" 

"He said he would arrive at the airport in 10 hours. We should tell the students." 

"Yes, especially if his ability is what we believe it is. I will contact them telepathically." Sean turned and ran for the assembly hall. He hoped that everybody would welcome him with open arms. But, the lad said he would try to avoid close proximity to the others for a while at least.

* * *

"Great, why is it just as we get settled into a routine, something happens." She understood most what change meant. She remembered that change lost her best bud, Wolverine. She knew enough about change. It was change that was affecting the world, since Onslaught. She even remembers the change that brought her to the X-Men. Change affected everything in life, and you can't just shove it in a corner and think that nothing is happening. 

"Jubilee, please stop acting so juvenile." 

Jubilee turned to Monet. She had been starting to get along with her since Ms. Frost tried to protect them from Onslaught. But, Monet didn't understand how much changes affected everything. "Listen, Monet, when I was with the X-Men..." 

Enough of the sermon, Jubilee> Jono said. He had gotten used to hating that as much as everyone else. About the only one who didn't say anything about it was Penance, and that was only because she didn't talk. 

"Okay, I get the picture. I won't go into one of those stories. I mean, it not like it's my life." 

"Jubilee, you shouldn't lie like that," Everett said. Since the two had gotten closer in the past weeks, it was hard to lie in front of him. 

Sean and Emma walked in and Sean tuned to Emma. "Aye, everybody is here except for Penance." 

"I couldn't contact her. Jubilee, do you think you could tell Penance about this when we get finished. You two are almost like sisters." 

"No problem, Emma. By the way, what is this all about?" 

"Yes, what's going on?" Angelo asked, relaxing in a chair. The headphones to his walkman were resting around his neck. It was obvious that he didn't want another of Sean's sonic screams. 

"Alright, I received a call today. A lad said that he would like to join the school," Sean said. 

"I take it that this boy is a mutant like us," said the calm voice of Mondo. Mondo had to have been the most laid back mutant she had ever met. She remembered that he said that life just happens. 

"Aye, that he is. But, his ability is very unusual. From what we can figure, 'e might have the ability to mimic any mutant, ability and personality." 

"Like, that would be so happening. I mean he could hang with me and Synch and have a triple firework show." 

Monet then said, "He wants to enroll so that his ability doesn't threaten people." 

"That and he fears his ability, and he could be more dangerous if yur brother ever finds out about 'im." 

Monet's eyes went wide at that. Jubilee understood what that could mean. A second Emplate would be twice the trouble that M's brother already was. "Let's hope we can get him here without Emplate finding out." 

"Exactly. I will pick him up at the airport in a while. He asked that we keep a distance for a while. His mutant ability makes him vulnerable to mutants. He wants to let you meet the real him before he joins us. He doesn't want us to get to close, since that is what triggers his ability. And no tricks, Angelo and Everett." 

"Who, us?" the two said in unison. "We are perfect angels." 

"The tail and pitchforks give you away, guys," Paige said. She had been on the receiving end of a couple of their jokes. Jubilee could remember many times where they had cut off the hot water in the showers. Paige's shrieks were easy to notice, even when they woke her up in the morning. 

"Alright, but don't forget, he can mimic both you abilities and personalities." The two looked at each other and realized that he could make them the victims of their own jokes. Jubilee couldn't help but laugh. 

"Does that include memories as well?" Paige asked. She was a bit worried about something. Jubilee wondered if it was that romance between her and Jono. Jubilee suspected that the two might be and item, but they were acting strangely for a while. 

"We aren't sure about that, lass. As far as we know, it might, and it might not." 

"Great, he might mimic Monet and space out until his ability wears out," she blurted out. 

"That's enough, lass. We hope that might not be an extreme to his ability. We each have our flaws. If he can also mimic those flaws, he might lose his identity all together." Losing one's identity sound just like the Phalanx. He could virtually be a mutant Phalanx, but the likelihood of that was extreme. Jubilee still remembered the Phalanx and how dangerous they had been. They had tried to kidnap all of Gen X students at the time. It cost the life of Clarise as she destroyed the one Phalanx, that had kidnapped Paige, Angelo, Monet, and Clarise. Sean then said, "Kids, I just want ye to help settle in. I want each of ye to pick a job to do. He needs to get familiar with grounds. Also, keep yur distance for the first day or two. He wants us to get to know him before we see his power in full force." 

With that, Sean dismissed everybody. She looked at everybody. They were already picking out jobs. All of sudden, Jono startled her by saying _"Do you want me to tell Penance about the boy?"_

"No, Jono. I think I can handle it. The trick is finding her. She acts as she's afraid to stay still, and if I don't find her before this new guy arrives, she will find him." 

_"How do you figure that?"_

"I think that after being held captive by Emplate, she's going to check out any one who arrives. 

_"In case 'e might be a bloody danger?"_

"Like, duh. She is still on her guard. It took us a couple months before she would let anyone of us get near her." She then remembered that Jono was the only one who could stop her rampage on the night she was left here. "I'm sorry, Jono. I forgot your part in all that." 

_"It's okay. People usually remember action, not talk."_

"What are you going to do when he arrives?" 

_"I've decided to show him the med center, just in case he mimics me"_

Jubilee thought about that for a moment. Then she realized that Jono meant the large hole in him that his psionic powers created. "I see. Who's going to show him the Grotto." 

_"Paige got that duty."_ There was a small pain of sadness in his voice, at the mention of Husk, but she decided not to pry. 

"I better go hunt down Penny. She's gotta know about this before he arrives." She ran at full bolt to the only place she knew to look for Penance, the 'Danger Grotto'.   
  
  
  



	3. First Impressions

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 2 First Impressions 

It had taken a while to talk to the class, and a good amount of time then to prepare a single room for the new lad. Sean had arrived at the airport with plenty of time. He noticed that a limo had arrived in the area. Probably somebody important was going to be picked up. He was just here to pick up the newest student at the school. 

Attention, Flight 341 from Newark is arriving at gate 12." That was the lad's flight. He headed for the gate area and waited. The lad asked him to describe himself so he could identify Sean when he arrived. 

He watched the people arriving. He eventually saw a lad, about 21, dressed all in black, exiting the gate. The lad looked at him and nodded and started in his direction. This lad was apparently the new student.

* * *

He walked off the plane and through the gate and looked around. He then saw the man, slight goatee, orangish hair, and a Celtics jackets. He headed for the man. That must have been Sean Cassidy, head of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. He wondered what Cassidy's abilities were? It would be interesting to find out. He went to shift the weight of his carry-on bag when he glanced at his hand. A hole was starting to form on his hand. There must be another mutant in the area. He must be passing near this mutant. For some reason, he didn't like this. He broke into a fast paced walk. The hole quickly disappeared. As he approached Mr. Cassidy, he said, "Sir, as much I would like to spend some time chatting with you here, I would think it best that we hit the road." 

Mr. Cassidy looked and said, "What about yur luggage, lad?" 

"All in hand. Now, let's get the lead out. Something is screwy in St. Louis." 

"What's wrong, lad?" Mr. Cassidy asked keeping about 10 feet from him. 

"I'll tell you when it's safe. I have a feeling that something is waiting for me there." 

The two rushed for Mr. Cassidy's car and got in. They left the airport almost at breakneck speed. He had forgotten about his usual precautions and sat up front. This was when Mr. Cassidy said, "Now, lad could ye tell me what that twas 'bout?" 

He turned to Mr. Cassidy and said, "Twas about me mutant ability kicking in. I think there was another mutant there, with ill intent." 

Mr. Cassidy had a shock on his face and said, "I take it yur ability has kicked in on me." 

"Aye, it has. If ye need proof, find a clearing and I'll show ye." 

It was just a little while until they found a clearing. He got out of the car and walked to a distance and said, "Mr. Cassidy, I take that ye' power deals with sonic screams." 

"Aye, it does." With that, he opened his mouth and screamed at such a pitch that he started to elevate in the air. "So that's what you mean by mimicking other mutants." 

"Aye. But it does have a constraint to it. I have figured that the time I'm with a mutant, I hold there ability for the time I am with them, plus half of that time when out of proximity." 

"Amazing, so you are able to mimic any mutant ability for as long as you want." 

"Mr. Cassidy, after communicating with another mutant, I found out that if I am in proximity of a mutant for more than 84 hours, I will keep those abilities forever." It was just then when Mr. Cassidy's ability left him and he dropped. Since he wasn't to far up, he landed with no injury. 

"So, that's why ye want to avoid contact, or closeness." 

"Yes. It's even more dangerous if I don't make the first step. I don't hold control and there is a personality struggle. In those forced altercations, I usually just get a brief headache, but the more trauma or pain that a mutant had suffered, I suffer and lose in the battle." 

Mr. Cassidy headed back to his car and opened the back car door. "So, ye want to be careful the first couple of days. But what about at the airport, what was that about?" 

He got into the car and said, "A brief worry. I hope that I don't run into that again, but I feel that will change." 

"By the way lad, what is ye name? Ye didnae tell me over the phone." 

"Rich Cale. My relatives came from England." 

"Well, I hope you enjoy excitement. Ye will probably see a lot of it at the school." 

"Zalright. I just hope that time gives me some rest." He had a feeling about that other presence. He thought he dodged it fast enough, but it would return. His luck had been going good for too long. It was soon time for the bad luck to start. He just hoped that it wouldn't hurt any of the new friends he was going to make here.

* * *

Jubilee was waiting for Sean to get back with the new student. She wasn't exactly thrilled with what she had to tell Sean. After all that time of searching, she still couldn't find Penny. She had to admit that when Penny wanted to, Penny disappeared from sight all together. She saw Sean's jeep coming to a stop in the driveway. She watched as Sean got out of the driver's side and from the back, appeared a guy, about Jono's age. He wore glasses and the first thought in her mind was "Nerd." He was dressed all in black and carried a black carry-on bag, and a black backpack. 

He looked around at the school. "Haven't seen anything like it since the midnight movie." 

Whoa. Midnight movie. Did this guy mean her favorite movie in the entire world? Could he be a fan of the movie? This could change everything. She immediately forgot the problem about Penance and shouted, "Do you mean 'Rocky Horror'?" 

Sean looked at the lad, "I guess you should be introduced. This is Jubilation Lee. I guess you hit a key point with the lass. Is yur ability kicking in on her?" 

The guy shook his head and turned to her. He extended a hand and said, "Hi, I'm Brad Majors." She started to respond, but turned it into a laugh. He looked at her and said, "I always knew how to make people laugh." 

It took her a while to calm down. Afterwhile, she said to Sean, "Sir, can I talk to you for a moment." 

Sean walked over to her and said, "What tis it, lass?" 

"It's about Penance. I wasn't able to find her. She must be in the shadows somewhere." 

"If she was nearby, lass, Rich would have known it." 

"Is that his name, Rich?" 

"Aye, lass. And his mutant ability is exactly what we figured it would be. But, it might be more so. If he holds an ability for about a week's time, he keeps that ability, and personality. Fact being, he mimicked me and even copied my speech pattern." 

"I hope that he doesn't physically change. That would be totally awkward." She thought about it for a moment, and mentally chuckled. It would have been a funny sight as well. 

"I don't think that is a problem, but something worried him at the airport. 'E said that there was a mutant in the area. He had us get out of there in a hurry, but he seems to forget his safeguards, so it must have worried him." 

"That ain't good." 

"Aye, who is going to show him the computer." 

"Monet. Why?" 

"I'll ask her to make him familiar with the files we have on our enemies. This way, he knows who to avoid." 

"Well, shall I take him to his room?" 

"Did you get that duty?" 

"I requested it. I do have some questions for him." 

"Alright, lass." He turned to Rich and said, "Jubilee is going to show you to ye room. We will have a meeting to introduce ye in a little bit." 

He gave a salute of sorts and said, "Okay, boss." He seemed to be a perpetual source of one-liners. 

"This way to the lovely accommodations of stately Xavier Manor. I hope you like action, you might see a lot." She turned and started walking to the guy's dorm. She turned her head and noticed that he was about five feet behind her. "What's with the distance?" 

"Simple, my mutant ability. It is distance activated. If I get any closer, I will start mimicking you. Hell, I could know some private stuff about you. Your deepest fears, your deepest secrets, or, well I don't have to say any more." 

She got the point. Imagine learning all that just by being near the person, and have their mutant ability as well. "So, you could use your ability to find out about people." 

"That and I found out once that when I use ones mutant ability, I can use it against them, at least if my personality is in control." 

"Wait a minute! What do you mean by that?" 

"Can I explain that later? I do want to get a bit settled in." 

"Okay." They had entered the guy's door and he was given a room on the main floor. She went to the door and checked it. "It's safe. Welcome to your room." 

He went to the door. She was standing about four feet from the door. She didn't even realize that he mimicked her until he did the same thing and kicked the door open. When the door opened, he jumped away and a bucket of water tipped over and drenched the floor. He looked at her and said, "Let me guess. Practical jokers. That is totally bogus." After a couple of seconds, he said, "Let me guess, you suspected that might happen." 

"Yeah, but..." He glanced at her with a wry smile and she stopped that thought. "Oh, I guess I was too close." 

"Yea, but I made the first step." He walked into the room and shouted, "I love a single room, sometimes. Well, I guess we better head to that meeting. I am not getting any younger, and there are more mutants to meet." This guy seemed totally kewl. She thought, with him around, things might never be dull.

* * *

"Alright children, we must give our new student some kindness," Emma said. She had decided to mentally monitor Rich. Penance was still hiding, and they didn't know what would happen if she approached him. "Rich, why don't you tell the students about yourself and your abilities. 

He nodded. He then turned to the class assembled in the hall and started to speak. "Well, my name is Richard Cale, but I prefer that you call me Rich. I discovered my mutant ability many years ago, but it has become a problem recently." 

Paige had then asked, "How much of a mutant can you 'mimic'?" 

"I can mimic their abilities, but I also mimic their personalities. I can learn things about them, including secrets, fears." 

Monet decided to ask, "What about flaws?" 

"If you talking about personal flaws with abilities, only if I am not in control of my personality. Now your own private flaws, that is another story. Now let's say, if you have an emotional problem, it also appears in me when I mimic your personality." 

"What about mental and psychological problems?" 

"The only one I won't mimic is epilepsy." 

"Why?" It was Everett who had asked that question. 

"Because, I'm epileptic. I can tell you this, if I appear to have an epileptic attack, scan my mind. If there are thoughts in there, it means that a mutant has gotten to close to me, and I am unwillingly getting there thoughts and abilities." 

"Sound painful, senor." Angelo had remarked. 

"It is, but it is not as painful as what happens to practical jokers that pull jokes on me." He gave a devilish smile in Angelo and Everett's direction. Apparently the boys decided to try and pull a trick on him. "Besides, the bucket of water gag is a classic. I haven't heard of anyone being injured by being drenched. Internally, I was laughing at the reaction I would have given." 

Franklin decided to ask, "What does it feel like when a mutant gets too close?" 

"Well, it depends on the mutant. It can be a slight headache, or it could be...." He trailed off and collapsed. He started moving in spasms. She scanned his mind and found that there were conflicting thoughts in his head. She guessed what happened. Penance was near him. 


	4. Fear OF The Unknown

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 3 Fear of the Unknown 

He couldn't believe it. The pain, the trauma, it was enough to almost defeat his own personality. He saw thoughts in his mind, a war torn country, the image of a man wearing a mask. He couldn't picture anything else. He started moving his arms as if to knock this man away, but it wasn't working. He heard then in his mind a voice. It was sounded in a strange dialect, and language. He could identify it. He knew it as Serbo-Croatian. It sounded female. The voice was almost psionic but it was not like Ms. Frost's voice. It was as if this voice was asking him to talk to her. He opened his eyes the people were shouting at someone. He could all of a sudden remember his personality and finally it stopped. The person must have stepped away. He tried to speak, but it was a great strain. He looked at his hands. They were red and claw like.

* * *

They all ran to the man. She couldn't believe it. As she approached him from the shadows, he had stopped talking and collapsed onto the floor. As she watched, he started turning into her. When everyone rushed to him, they seemed to realize something was happening and she was the cause. The girl that was related to Him, pointed in her direction and the man who was in charge started shouting something. It wasn't until Jubilee, the one that treated her like a sister motioned in a step back way. She stepped back and the man stopped thrashing. 

The man started to get up and look around. He looked in her direction. His face and hair had taken on the same qualities as her. He looked like he was really concentrating and then said, "It's Okay. You didn't know about what would happen. I take it you can understand me now." It was in her native tongue. She was amazed. He was handsome in his way and she thought that he could truly understand. He then said, "We'll talk later, Ok." Upon which, he started to look normal again. Someone she could communicate with, someone who could talk with her. For the first time in her life since Him, she wasn't afraid at all.

* * *

The look of shock on his face as well as everyone else's were the same. To say that Angelo was shocked was understating the obvious. Not since his days in LA did he ever see something this shocking. The man spoke in a strange language and Penance understood every word. When he returned to a normal form, Sean said, "Lad, what the hell did ye say, and in what language." 

Rich looked at everyone, then looked at Penance. He then turned back to everyone and said, "I spoke to her in her native tongue. I take it you didn't know she was Yugoslavian." 

"How in the world did you figure that one out?" Monet asked. She was a bit dumb struck by this turn of events. 

Rich looked at her and said, "You're the smart one, aren't you?" 

"Yes, why?" 

"You lack common sense. I have a relative exactly like that." 

"How can you say such a thing?" 

"Did you listen to what I said?" 

"Of course I did. I heard every word you said until.... Oh." 

Jubilee smiled and said, "It's okay, Monet. He pulled the same thing on me." 

Rich glanced in Penance's direction and she smiled. Rich returned the smile and said, "It appears I have made my first friend here." 

"Lad, how did ye figured out she was from Yugoslavia?" Sean asked. 

"Okay, I saw images of a war-torn country and I heard a language in my head. I somehow identified it as Serbo-Croatian. With recent history, I do believe Yugoslavia is a war-torn country, and as part of a report on the country, I found out its language." 

"You have a good memory." Everett said, obviously impressed. 

"I remember trivia. It comes in handy sometimes." 

"Well now, lad. I think you need a quiet tour to show you around. Angelo, I think you have the first task." 

"Si, if you will follow me, Rich, I shall show you around the grounds, and over to the computer center." 

Angelo headed out of the hall. In a couple of seconds, Rich fell into step behind him and said, "Lead the way, senor. By the way, what's your full name?" 

"Oh, Angelo Espinosa. I come from L.A." 

"So, what's it like around here?" 

"It's quiet, except when there is a problem. We usually have problems that happen once a week here." 

"Hey, it quieter than my home town. It was turning into the big city in leaps. I just had to get away." 

"Well, it may seem you might be leaving one bad place for another." Angelo pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. 

"What make you say that, other than your impersonation of a smoke stack?" 

Angelo stopped in his tracks and turned. Rich had a huge grin on his face, not showing any teeth though. "I take it you have been taking lessons on smart remarks." 

"Yes, I use the classics as well as making up new material." 

"Well as I was saying before, you might see some troubles here. I think Monet is going to tell you about them, but we have encountered many strange things." 

Rich let a smile cross his face, revealing a reason why he kept a bit of a frown. His teeth appeared to be crooked. "I like the sound of that," he said with a slight accent. 

"What happened with your teeth, Rich?" 

"That's the way they came in. I know it looks strange. That is the reason that I don't smile too often." 

They continued on and Angelo pointed out every place on the campus. Rich listen to everything and they eventually entered the main building. Angelo had lead Rich to the computer room where Monet was waiting. It was time for Rich to get the run down on the computer setup. Angelo had left to smoke another cigarette.

* * *

Monet watched as Angelo left. She still felt a little upset when she found out that Angelo had seen her diary. She waited until he was gone and turned to Rich. "Hello, Richard. My name is Monet St. Croix, and I would like to personally welcome you to the school." 

Rich bowed and said, "My pleasure to meet you. The way you act, you seen to come from a family of wealthy status. I hope I haven't jumped to any wrong conclusions." 

"You seemed to be a nice person. Well, I have the duty of showing you the computer, as well as some of the files." 

"Let me guess, Mr. Cassidy, or should I call him Sean, is worried about how I acted at the airport, and has drafted you to find out." 

"I guess the secrets out." 

"The truth can surface in ugly ways, Monet." She knew how true that was, but she didn't want to say anything to Rich about her brother until he saw the file. 

"Well," she stepped over to the computer system, "this is our version of the Cerebro computer and the main school. It has a file on every mutant, and a copy of every enemy that Generation X has ever faced." 

"Let me guess, so I know who to avoid." 

"In a way, let me get a picture of the first one." She punched up the file of the X- Cutioner. A figure appeared in front of Rich and he just looked at it. 

"Let's see, he must have a Grim Reaper fixation." 

v"In the worse way, The X-Cutioner is fixated on the termination of mutants. He wanted to destroy any mutant that he thought had committed a crime. Angelo told us that he went after him." 

"Does he have any mutant abilities?" 

"No." She noticed that Rich made a motion as if he was thankful that this guy wasn't a mutant. "Let me show you the next enemy." She accessed the file on Omega Red. It could be a major problem if he turned in to him could be dangerous. 

"He looks like one unhappy camper. Did he get in the extra ugly line when God handed out looks." 

"No. Science made him that way. He has the mutant ability to create a death spore." 

"Yeesh. I hope I never meet him." 

"Actually, only Jonothon was able to defeat him. Jonathon can't die, as far as we know." Rich looked at the image as if he was wondering about what to do in case Omega Red did get near. "I think I should show you the file on one of our main problems." She brought up the file on her brother, Emplate. She knew that she could give them more information than what they had on Emplate, but, she still felt awkward about that knowledge. The image had came up and Rich screamed. She turned and saw him huddling in a corner, his face in his hands. "Did you see that in Penance's memories, the image of Emplate?" 

He spoke in a shaky voice. "The hands. That is what Penance feared. He had seen me. I pray he didn't follow me. By the grace of God, may he not find me." 

"Oh, dear. I'm going to get Sean. I think he might want to hear this." She left the room and ran to Sean's office. 

* * *

When Monet told him that she discovered the reason for Rich's alarm, Sean was glad that they found the cause. He was not too happy with the state that Rich was in now. He followed Monet back to the computer room to see the one thing he hoped it wouldn't be. He saw Rich in the corner of the room, scared to move. What was in the center of the room was an image of Emplate. "Rich, are ye okay, lad?" 

Rich was still curled in the corner and only muttered, "The hands. The hands." 

He looked at the image of Emplate and then realized that must have tipped Rich off to Emplate's presence. He hadn't seen Emplate, maybe because he was not in synch with the dimension which they lived in. Maybe that couldn't be hidden from Rich. "Do you want to explain it, Rich?" 

Rich's voice still shook in fear as he began, "When I left the plane and started in your direction, I had to shift the weight of my bags. When I did that, I notice holes were forming on my hands. I must have gotten close to him, but I couldn't see him. He could have attacked me without me realizing he was there. At least, he didn't approach me. But I fear he knows, I can't help but fear that he knows." 

He turned to Monet and said, "I think you better talk to him about this, lass. You know more about Emplate than any of us, except maybe for Penance." 

"Yes, sir." she said. Sean then turned off the file on Emplate and left the room. He figured that he should talk to Emma about this.

* * *

Rich glanced up and noticed the image had disappeared. He watch Sean leave the room and Monet was standing with a worried look on her face. He started to stand, a bit leery about what he had seen when Monet said, "I guess I should tell you about Emplate." 

He wondered what in the world she knew about this monster. "What do you know about it?" 

"Emplate, I am sad to say, is my brother." 

He almost returned to the huddled state that he was in before. "He is your brother. My god, are you anything like him?" 

"No. He hates me to the core. One reason for that is that he cannot sup on me." 

"Sup?" 

"He eats mutant genetic marrow. He would do the same to you, unless he can turn you into one like him." 

"You mean to say, that he is a mutant vampire, and that you are immune to this creature?" 

"Yes, when he revealed the relation between us, relations between the individual members and myself became tougher." 

"I guess that could be a problem, to find out one of the team is related to a murderous mutant who wouldn't give a second thought to killing all of us." He could help but to keep more of a distance from Monet now, but he felt sorry for her. All because of Emplate, some members were shunning her. He started to wonder if Penance shunned her as well. "Monet, how much about Emplate do you figure Penance knows?" 

She almost stopped with that thought. She gave an appearance that she was almost deep in thought when she said, "She could probably give you a personal account on what it is like to be a prisoner of Emplate. It is unknown how long she was in my brother's grip." 

"I hope she doesn't mind me asking about it. I mean, after what I saw, I think I need the advice of someone who survived being his victim." 

"Everett could also tell you something about that. A while back, my brother possessed him." 

"I wonder who took that the hardest. Everett, or Jubilee." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I got a bit close to Jubilee earlier. I found out that she likes Everett." 

"Well, that is almost no secret, but you picked up on that before you were even told." 

Rich felt a bit awkward about that. That was one aspect of his powers that made him feel like he was losing control. It also made him feel like a voyeur. He then said to Monet, "I guess I should see the next item on the tour." 

_"That would be the med center."_ He turned to see a guy, about his age, wrapped in black straps. He wondered about this. 

"And you are?" 

_"Jonathon Evans Starsmore."_

"Oh, you are the one you defeated Omega Red? I must commend you. To defeat something like that, I must shake your hand." He started to walk over to Jonathon when all of a sudden, his mutant ability started to kick in. He felt a slight pain. 

_"Gov, I wouldn't suggest that..."_ An explosion knocked him away from Jono. He heard Monet yelling, but his ears were ringing from the explosion. He looked down and saw a flare of red right about where his chest had been. His clothing had still been in shape, but it appeared his skin and all was gone. 

"What the hell happened in..." He heard Sean yell and as the Irish man saw him on the floor. "Let me guess, you got close to Jonathon, right?" 

_"I was going to congratulate him on his defeat of that Omega Red fellow. When I heard about it, I felt it was only right to congratulate him. This is odd though."_ He then watched as his chest started to reform. 

_"I guess that is what will happen when ever you get close to a mutant and don't know their abilities."_ Jono remarked. Rich gave him a look. This must have happened when Jono's ability first manifested. 

Rich waited until his mouth had returned and said, "I think from now on, I should be informed upon everyone's abilities. If anything like this is the norm, I would like to be informed." 

"Agreed, lad." Sean said with an approving look. "Of those you have met, Jono is psi-mutant. As you guessed with me, I have a sonic scream. Jubilee has the ability to produce explosive plasmoids. Angelo has the ability to control and extra six feet of skin that he has. Monet has super-strength, flight, night-vision and..." 

Monet spoke up, "In other words, I'm perfect." 

Rich turned to Monet and said, "Great, you don't exist. I hate figments of my imaginations." 

Monet looked at him sternly and said, "What do you mean?" 

"Monet, one of my hobbies is writing computer programs. In learning how to write them, I learned that nothing is perfect. Perfection is an illusion. If you were perfect, you would have to hide secrets." 

Monet opened up her mouth and immediately stopped. She almost went into a talk and then said, "Mon Dieu, you're right." 

Rich then turned to Jono and said, "Jono, I think you better show me the medical center again, just in case of another incident or I have a seizure."   
  



	5. Understanding

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 4 Understanding 

Paige walked into the med lab just as Jono had finished telling Rich about the features of the med lab. Sean had told her about his shake up and to be prepared. She knew that she was going to show him the Biosphere, and that Penance would probably be there as well. She hoped that there wouldn't be a repeat of the incident in the Assembly Hall, but there was no guarantee on that. 

_"I see that Paige is here,"_ said Jono as Rich turned to see her standing at the door. She nodded and he smiled. _"I guess it is time that you see the Biosphere."_

Rich looked at him with a certain look that Paige couldn't identify. She knew that there was a bit of sadness in Jono's tone. Part of her was still hurt by his outburst back at her home, but part of her was upset. He jumped to a conclusion that was totally false. She turned to Rich and said, "Richard, I am Paige Guthrie and I will show you the Biosphere." She motioned for him to follow her and she left the med center. 

Rich followed her at his usual pace and when they were outside of the building, he said, "So, who made the mistake? Who let their mind or heart take control?" 

Paige stopped and turned in defense. She was shocked at what Rich had said. Did he learn that from Jono. Sean had told her that he had Jono's ability briefly and might have learned that. She decided to act as if she didn't know what he was talking about. She sternly said to Rich, "What do yah mean by that?" 

Rich stopped and said, "If you think that I learned that from Jono, I didn't. He hasn't had as traumatic a life as Penance had. I recognized the look of lost love. I have had that look. In most cases, it was my mind that took control when my heart said it wasn't right. But I think that it is the other way around in yours and Jono's case. I think that your hearts both know it's right, but somebody's mind did the thinking and said it wouldn't work. Am I right?" 

His tone was almost stern, but he didn't shout it. She stood still. Paige felt a bit ashamed. She said, "You're right. Jono let his mind do the thinking, but you can't understand what it is to deal with?" 

"I can't understand what it is to deal with a heart that says it will work, and a mind that says it won't? I can understand that. I was in a similar situation. My mind knew it wouldn't work between one girl and me, but my heart said it would. In some case, the heart is right, while in others the mind is right. I think in your case, the heart is right. But, time will tell." 

She let the words sink in. Rich seemed to know what he was talking about. She felt ashamed for thinking that he used his mutant ability to learn that information. She said to Rich, "Rich, Ahm sorry for accusing you of using your abilities to find out about that. It's just, I haven't told anyone about that. I feel the only person that knows about that is Ms. Frost. I just thought 

that, well.." 

"I understand. Believe me, its hard to keep things from me, especially if you are a mutant. I hate that part of my ability. It makes it hard to keep friends." 

She smiled and said, "It's Okay. I think that your ability might make you more friends here than you know. Now, come on. You must see the Biosphere." She ran in the direction of the round building marked Biosphere. 

"Hey, Paige. I was just wondering," he yelled as he tried to stay at her pace, "what is your mutant ability?" 

"Oh, Ah'm a metamorph. I have the ability to transform myself into different substances, just by shedding my skin." 

"Weird! I like it," he yelled as they reached the Biosphere. She opened the door and let him enter first. He then shout as she entered the building, "Utopia." 

"Beg ya pardon?" 

"Utopia. Paradise. It appears to be a virtual paradise in here. Let me guess, Penance spends a lot of time here." 

"Yes, she does. We might run into her while we're in here. I hope she doesn't cause you to, well, you know." 

"You mean like back in the assembly hall. Don't worry. I think she would rather have me as a friend." 

"You are the first person to ever communicate with her. I think you might be a gift to all of us. Well, let me tell you about the Biosphere." Paige prepped for her prepared lecture on the Biosphere when she realized that Rich had stopped moving. She turned and saw that he was starting to change, but this time it wasn't as painful as it had been earlier. She then noticed stand about four feet from him was Penance. Penance seemed to be happy. Paige walked over to the two and pulled out an apple. 

Penance looked in her direction almost cautiously and then saw the apple. Paige handed the apple to Penance and said, "Here you go, Penance. I figured you would be here." The apple was instantaneously sliced, but Penance managed to hold onto the slices. She then took half the slices and handed them to Rich. He said something to her that Paige, herself, couldn't understand, but Penance understood as she smiled. The two just ate the apple and Paige decided that her lecture on the Biosphere wasn't as important as the possible chance at communicating with Penance was.

* * *

Rich could tell that Penance was happy to see him. After the first encounter, he guessed that she trusted him. When he realized she was nearby, he stopped and looked at her. She came out of hiding and smiled. When Paige came over to them both and gave her an apple, he watched as it was instantaneously sliced in her hands. Penance then held up some of the slices to him. It was then he realized she also had psionic abilities as she asked {Would you like some?} 

He thanked her, aloud and watched as Paige just watched. He then said to Penance, {Penance, is that what everybody calls you?} 

{No. Jubilee calls me Penny from time to time. She treats me like a sister.} 

{Is that your real name, Penance?} 

{No. My real first name is Yvette.} 

{That is a lovely name. It seems to suit you.} She appeared to blush, but it was hard to tell because of how red her skin was. {Would it be Okay if I called you that?} 

{I think that would be nice. You are the first person to ever communicate with me.} 

{Didn't any one else talk with you.} 

{Alright, the first person I feel totally safe with. The fiery one, he spoke with me a couple of times, although I didn't understand what he said. I got the impression that he and the others didn't want to hurt me, although I hurt her.} 

Rich looked at Paige and said to Penance, {You mean Paige Guthrie.} 

{If that is her name, I'm not sure. We are communicating in, I guess, my language. I'm surprised that you understand it, being American. When I first arrived, the only thought in my mind was to leave and live free. I had been a prisoner of Him for years. When the skin-ripper attacked me, I fought in defense.} 

{Note to myself: Do not get on your bad side.} He saw her act as if she was chuckling. He had made a friend for sure. 

{You are funny. I hope you never run into Him. You might lose that and your life. I'm still recovering, which is why I very rarely trust any one. Jubilee, the one with sparks, is the only person I truly trust, but I can't talk to her. When you arrive and could speak to me, I felt safe for the first time since Him.} 

Rich started to shudder. He started feeling the fear he felt earlier. He felt that he better try and ask now than later. {Yvette, my mutant ability is allowing me to talk with you, and use your abilities. On my way here, I think He saw me. I sensed Him, and I am scared by this. I'm afraid I might turn into Him. Can you tell me what it was like? I may need help.} 

Yvette seem to shudder for a moment and finally, {I will tell you all I know. I lost my parents in the war. I lost most of myself to Him, I don't want to lose someone like you to Him.} 

Rich's eyes went wide. Did he just hear what he thought he heard. He said {Yvette, did you just say what I think I heard?} 

She looked like she was almost embarrassed. She finally replied, {Yes. I think I might be falling in love with you.} 

When he heard that, he felt like he could have been knocked over with a feather. {Well, now. I haven't just made a friend. I just might have made a girlfriend.} He let a small smile show and said, {Later on, I'll stop by and you can tell me about Him, or as they call Him, Emplate. I might even try to teach you some English.} 

Yvette smiled. {I think that would be terrific. I could talk to Jubilee, the noisemaker, His relation, the fiery one, the skin-ripper, the one that extends his skin, the glowing man, the changer, or even the mind witch. I could also talk with the little boys or, most importantly, you.} 

{Ok. See you here tonight, Okay} She nodded and bounded off. He glanced at Paige and she seemed to wondering what in the world had just happened. He then heard what sounded like some children coming their way.

* * *

Franklin remembered seeing Mr. Cale back in the assembly hall, and knew that Paige was going to bring him to see the Biosphere. He knew that Artie and Leech would like meeting him. He led them over to the area where Paige was standing. He then saw Penance bound off and, he could only guess that it was Mr. Cale, but he must have been near Penance for a while. His normally white skin had turned red, and his hands were like claws. His hair had turned into a smaller version of Penance's hair. 

An image appear as Artie seemed to ask if Mr. Cale was a second version of Penance. Paige noticed the image and turned to say, "No, Artie. Rich is not a mutant like Penance. His ability allows him to mimic mutant abilities, personalities and even their knowledge." 

Mr. Cale turned to face them and kneeled down to their level. He then etched in the ground a small message. It read "Franklin, you don't have to call me Mr. Cale. My name is Richard, and I prefer to be called Rich." 

"Ok. I want to introduce you to my friends." He motioned to boy with green skin and big eyes. "This is Leech." He then motioned to Artie and said, "This is Artie." Rich nodded at both boys and then motioned as if he was wondering something. 

Paige spoke up, "Franklin, Ah think Rich wants to know what your mutant abilities are?" Rich made a motion of putting his finger to his nose, and was nodding. 

Leech spoke first, "Leech's ability is to suppress other mutant's abilities." Rich's eyes went wide as Leech then said, "Artie's ability is to project images. Leech and Artie are good friends." 

Franklin noticed that Rich seemed to be a bit confused about how Leech talked. "Rich, Leech always talks like that. My ability is to alter reality. I hang out with Leech since his ability doesn't let mine go out of control. The last time I had used my ability was when I destroyed Onslaught." Franklin still remembered how Onslaught made his parents disappear. He started to feel said. 

Paige realized what was happening. She went over to Franklin and said, "Don't worry. They are still in your heart." She turned to Rich and said, "You have to understand that Franklin lost his family to Onslaught." Franklin looked over at Rich and noticed that he had returned to the normal look he usually had. 

Rich had a look of understanding and said, "I know what it's like to lose someone close to you, but I have never lost my entire family. I offer my sympathies." 

Franklin looked at Rich and thanked Rich. "I guess I still can't forget what happened to them." 

"Don't hold the pain in. I lost a loved one when I was a little bit older than you. I didn't cry about it until 9 years later. It's good to let go of the pain when it happens, not to hold it in." 

Franklin thought about the advice and said, "I understand, sir. I hope you will be staying here for a while. I think you could be a good friend to have." He watched as Rich nodded and smiled. For all he could tell, Rich was happy with the statement. Franklin was about to say something when Mr. Cassidy walked over. 

"Well now Rich, I take it that ye have met the we lads." 

"Yes Sir. I always have a spot in my heart for kids. It comes from being the eldest child of sibling and or cousins." 

"Well, I thought that we could all welcome you here by having a meal together. We usually welcome new students with a bit of a celebration." 

"As long as we don't dance. I can't dance at all." 

Franklin was puzzled at this remark, just a bit. "Rich, what did you mean by that?" 

Rich took a look at him. He then said, "Franklin, have you ever heard of a group named Three Dog Night?" 

Franklin knew that group. They were an old group, but they had terrific music. "There the group that do 'Joy to the World'. I like that song." 

"That's right. They also did other songs, one being 'Celebrate' which the refrain goes 'Celebrate, Celebrate, Dance to the music.' There songs seemed to have a message of peace in them." 

Franklin understood now what Rich meant by what he said earlier. "I think we will get ready for dinner now. I hope you enjoy it here, Rich." With that he and Artie and Leech ran back to their tree house. 

* * *

Mondo looked around the room. He wanted Rich to feel as welcome as he did. He had set up the room to look exactly how it looked when he joined. He had everything setup just the same. He watched as Sean had been working on a meal for everyone. Ms. Frost walked over to him and said, "Mondo, you have done a great job at decorating. I hope Rich likes it." 

"I have done my best to make it cheerful. It is hard to understand why such a happy fellow like Rich, dresses in such gloomy colors. He seems to appear depressed." He had gotten that impression when he saw Rich for the first time, all dressed in black. He watched as Sean had brought Rich in the reception hall. He smiled at Rich and said, "How do you like it?" 

Rich glanced around the room and said, "Cheerful, but if a purple dinosaur jumps out, I'm leaving." Mondo was a bit confused at this. Rich then said, "I guess it is like a party. Let's celebrate. Oh, is this formal, or informal?" 

Mondo kept the smile on his face and said, "It is informal, just as mine was. Although everybody came formally dressed. I think that a celebration should be informal. By the way, what did you mean by a purple dinosaur." 

"I take it you aren't American. Somebody developed a character that is a purple dinosaur. He has a perpetual smile on his face and is always singing. After about a minute of being exposed to this thing, you want to smash the television to pieces." 

"Just for being cheerful. I don't think that is a crime." 

"Mondo, I'm going to let you in on a trade secret to life. One must realize that life is not always cheerful, and if one always has a cheerful view on life, they will most likely be the first to go." 

Mondo could not understand why Rich would say such a think. It seemed totally unbelievable. "Is that what you believe. I am sadly sorry for you." 

"Don't be, Mondo. I have heard all theories on life, from the Buddhist beliefs to one stated by Charles Manson." 

Ms. Frost gave him a startled look and said, "You don't admire that murderer, do you?" 

Rich put his hand against his at his forehead and nodded downward. He finally said, "That murderer once said in an interview that he only played the hand life dealt him. I know now that I was dealt the hand of a mutant. How I play my hand, only time will tell." 

Ms. Frost gave him a stern look and said, "If you ever think about doing anything to hurt any of my students, I will make you regret it." 

"Ms. Frost, if I did anything to hurt anybody here, I would not be able to live with my self. I don't lose my temper often, and when I do it is a scary sight. I hope you never see me angry, but I can tell you one thing. Since I am epileptic, and I take medication for it, it can cause drastic mood swings in me, such as a fit of anger could turn into a crying episode related to what I could have done." Rich almost tried to turn and leave. 

Ms. Frost had a look of shock on her face and said, "You are sensitive person, aren't you?" 

Rich's head moved up and down. Mondo couldn't understand what such a person would wear such dismal colors. He decided to ask the question that was bothering him. "Rich, my friend, why do you wear such depressing colors?" 

Rich turned and looked at Mondo with a look of calmness, "Mondo, my favorite color is black. I prefer black, not because it is a depressing color, but because it is a color of mystery. When one looks into a totally dark room, one knows not what to expect. Black represents a mystery, and I like to remain a mystery. At times, I am a mystery to myself. I say one thing and do another. I hope to find some sort of meaning to myself, as well as learn to use my ability to help everyone." 

Mondo was almost ready to say something when the rest of the students started to come in. Maybe he could talk with Rich tomorrow. He was quite interested in hearing Rich's views on life.   
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Breakthrough

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 5 Breakthrough 

It was a short while after everybody entered the hall. Penance would have liked to join in the festivities, but she was more comfortable when everybody else wasn't around. She decided, although that she would add her own little touch to the celebration. She had searched around the school, and found a grove of red roses. She used her hands to cut some and placed them at the door. She figured that Rich would know why they were there. She turned and ran to the ground. As she jumped back into the greenery, she kicked a rock in the direction of the door. As the door open, she smiled when Rich appeared and looked around. He looked down and saw the roses and looked around. She move out of the greenery and waved. He smiled and bowed. She then went back to the Biosphere. She knew it would be a while until he returned to the Biosphere, but she would wait.

* * *

Jubilee watched as Rich opened the door. She noticed that he picked something up, but wasn't sure what. She walked over to the door and said, "So, what was at the door, Rich?" 

She noticed that he started to blush as when he closed the door and turned to face her. She then saw about a dozen roses in his hands. She finally noticed that everything stopped when Rich had turned with the roses. "I can never say that nobody loves me. And to think, I had the worst luck when it came to love?" 

Sean then said, "Ok, who set this one up? Everett, Angelo, is this a joke to welcome Rich in?" 

The two looked at each other in amazement and said, "Sir, that's too heartless, even for us? Give us some credit, we wouldn't hurt someone's feelings." 

"Then who did that?" 

Rich only smiled and started to laugh. He knew who it was, and he was getting a laugh out of everybody trying to figure it out. Monet walked over to her and said, "Jubilee, I think I know who did it." 

"Okay, Monet. Who do you think did that?" 

"Who is the first person here that Rich has made contact with?" 

Jubilee thought for a moment. Rich had met almost everybody, but due to Sean's scheduling, he was going to meet everybody individually tomorrow. Who did Rich make contact with? 

Rich started humming. He was enjoying the chaos that was ensuing due to this turn of events. But there was something familiar in the hum. As everybody continued to talk, Rich hummed louder. Jubilee finally recognized it. It was the theme from Star Trek. She turned to Monet and said, "Monet, have you seen Star Trek?" 

"I have never watched the show. I do know the series has some movies. I know one had first contact with an alien probe in it." 

"That's it, Monet. I know who delivered the roses." The commotion around them stopped as every stared at her. She got the feeling that everybody was giving her a "you better fess up now" look. 

Rich glanced at her and said, "And welcome to Final Jeopardy. the Category, Generation X. The Final Answer is 'The one who delivered the roses to the door.' You have 30 seconds. Remember to phrase your answer in the form of a question." He started to hum the Jeopardy theme. 

Jubilee felt like she was really on the spot. She decided that she was just going to say it. "It's Penance. She left the roses." Everyone just looked at her. 

Emma gave her a stern look and said, "Jubilee, I think you're trying to hide your guilt." She was about to do a mind probe on her when Rich stopped humming. 

Rich looked at Jubilee and Emma and said, "I sorry, you forgot to phrase it in the form of a question. If you would have, you could have won the grand prize. Try again, next time." 

Jubilee decided to put a smirk on her face as Emma's eyes, as well as everybody else's, went wide in shock. The only people that didn't seem shocked were Monet and Paige. "I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so." 

Rich spoke again, "I don't think she felt to comfortable with a lot of people yet. She seems to like me, thou." He smelled the roses and then decided that he would need to put the flowers in something. "Is there a vase available for some flowers?" 

Paige walked over and stop near him and said, "Ah'll take care of them, Rich. Something tells me that you are the best thing to happen to Penance in a long time." Rich handed them to her and Paige left the room to take care of the roses. 

Jubilee looked at Rich and said, "I'm glad for Penny's sake that we found some one who can communicate with her. But, could this really be love?" 

Rich looked at her and said, "I'm the first person who could truly communicate with her. When faced with trauma during one's life, one latches onto someone who can understand them. Penny feels that way about me, and the truth be told, she has a beauty all her own." 

"Are you saying that you are falling in love with her?" 

Rich smiled and said, "Only time will tell, only time will tell." He turned to the group and said, "Now, this is supposed to be a party. Do we have some music?" 

Jono walked over to the stereo and said _ What do you prefer, gov? Green Day. REM. Rocky... Jubilee, did you sneak one of your CD's in here?>_

"And what's wrong with Rocky Horror? It is one of the best movies ever." 

Rich then said, "Put that one in, Jono. I'm in a bit of a silly mood. I should have gotten my video out for later." 

Jubilee was overjoyed. This guy was one of the coolest guys she ever meet. "Alright. It's time to do the Time Warp." 

Rich looked at her and said, "Has anybody else here seen the movie?" 

"No, I don't think so." 

"Well, the way Emma Frost dresses, it's hard to tell." 

Emma gave him a look of disgust. "Richard, be careful what you say. I am not a person that you want to make mad." 

"Emma, lighten up. It's my first day, and we are going to celebrate. If you can't take a joke, you need a sense of humor. Besides, I saw the people at the theater dress in costumes that makes some of your clothing look like overdressing." Emma start to chuckle, but quickly stopped herself. 

The music started up and everything seemed to be going well. Rich felt comfortable, and everybody appeared to be accepting him with open arms. She thought that Rich would be one of the best things to happen to the school.   
  


* * *

Rich felt almost tired when the party ended. When the Rocky Horror soundtrack started, it was only he and Jubilee that were singing and dancing, but by the time the last song was playing, almost everybody was singing and dancing. He felt a little upset when the party ended, but he had other things to do before he hit the hay. Rich ran at breakneck speed to the Biosphere. Almost everybody was heading to bed, or talk a bit before they head to bed, and Rich had the same idea. He entered the Biosphere and started to walk around. He heard a rustling in the nearby shrubbery. He walked in the general direction and saw Penance. He had started to mimic her and she asked, {Did you like the roses?} 

He smiled and said, {Yvette, I loved the roses. Although, I wished you could have been there to see how everybody reacted.} 

{Did anyone figure out it was me that left the roses?} 

{I think three people were not surprise by that. Jubilee, Monet and Paige. Jubilee caught on to my hints before anybody else did. I think Monet just thought about it. As for Paige, I think our talk earlier gave a hint.} 

Penance again acted as if she was giggling. She looked cute when she did that. {I bet it was a madhouse in there. I wonder how everybody thinks of you now} 

{It was a common thought that I was the best thing for you. Everyone is surprised at how well we are getting along.} 

Penance gave a slight smile. {Especially with our start, I guess I totally overwhelmed you.} 

With that, Rich started to chuckle. Even though it wasn't vocalized, Penance smiled and silently joined in. After they both stopped, Rich composed his thoughts and finally said, {I guess it's truth time. Yvette what can you tell me about Him.} 

Penance sat down and said, {You might want to sit down for this, it is a long story.} 

{Can you give me the Reader's Digest Version? Short and ... wrong phrase.} 

{Reader's Digest. What's that?} 

{It's a magazine that comes in the mail and shortens stories down to a couple of pages. From 10 pages to 4 pages. It just says, 'Good bye, junk'} 

{OK. But what was wrong with the Short phrase?} 

{That phrase is short and sweet. I don't think there is anything sweet about Him.} 

Penance nodded and said {Alright. I told you I lost my folks in the war. As I had fled from my hometown, I lived by my wits for a while. Eventually He found me. He didn't look like He does now. He seemed to be very well off. He looked well-fed, but he was starving. I found out why days later. He had taken me to a place, a lighthouse I guess. The first few days were the only nice days. Then I found out about him. He came in and I saw the mouths on his hands. He grabbed me and I felt them bite into me. The pain was unbearable. As time passed, I tried to escape. I still had my own will, but I failed. That was when he restrained me, with what I'm wearing now.} 

Rich looked at the black leatherish outfit she was wearing. {You mean this is still the same outfit.} 

{No, his servant, Little Man, he changed the restraints from time to time. But I wash them, as best I can. Slowly, He started to control me, as He did the others. I didn't have a free thought, until the bearded man brought me here.} 

Rich's eyes widened. {Penance, this bearded man, was he dark skinned and his beard whitish.} 

{Yes. That was him. He was the one who brought me here. How did you know what he looked like.} 

{I didn't tell Mr. Cassidy this, but that was the one who told me to come here. I wonder if this was what he had in mind.} Rich stewed the thought over in his mind. Maybe that man had a plan of some sorts. That man had brought Yvette to the school and maybe, informing him about the school was the man's way of helping the school communicate with her. 

{It's hard to say. At times until recently, He still tried to control me. I lapsed into comas, trying to fight Him. When he attacked the school, I was almost under His control again, until I managed to break free and hurt Him.} She stopped and held his hand. {I'm glad to be free of Him, and I truly don't want to lose you to Him.} 

Rich almost couldn't voice what he said next, but he did. {I don't want to lose you to Him, either. You know, this is awkward for me. I never had much luck with love, so it's strange to think that I have a girlfriend.} 

{It's Ok. You're the first guy that I've been interested in.} 

{Well, let's see how things go. Now, shall we start in on your English lessons.} Penance smiled and for the next two hours, Rich started to teach her the basics of English.   
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Unwelcome Intrusions

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 6 Unwelcome Intrusions 

He was running. Rich had a feeling he was being followed by someone. The school had been wrecked. Yvette wasn't in the Biosphere and everyone was missing. He ran in partial terror and fear. He couldn't find anyone. He turned down one hall and ran into a dead end. There was no one down here and he turned to back track. It was then he realized he was trapped. Standing at the junction he just left was Emplate. He heard the evil in the being's voice. "Mr. Cale, I have been waiting to meet you. Your own ability would be very valuable to me, and the defeat of these morsels." Emplate started to advance. 

The fear was flowing through his veins. He was afraid, but he could not let it show. "I won't let you make me into a creature like you." Rich knew that his only hope was to find a way to get past Emplate, but he couldn't find any way other than to rush him. He was trapped. The only other way out was the unthinkable. 

"You cannot avoid your destiny, Mr. Cale. You will be one of my group, be it your own doing, or totally unwilling. There is no need to hide your fear, I know that one more step gives me a new servant." Emplate made that step and Rich felt the pain. He collapsed on the floor in a fit. His struggle turned to an internal struggle as Emplate's personality started conflicting with his own. He couldn't fight it and slowly accepted the fate. A part of him hated giving up as Emplate took over. Then he had trouble breathing. He couldn't breathe. As he labored for his next breath, it all ended. 

Rich jumped up and looked around. He was in his room. He looked at the clock and saw it was 4 AM. Only when he had disturbing sleeps, did he wake like that before. This dream, disturbed him so. His deepest fear was that it was an image of things to come. A future he did not want. Rich got out of bed, got dressed and looked through his bag. It was almost midnight when he got in. He spent most of the time before that teaching Penance. It would be a couple more days until she could say some words, but she started to understand some key words in English. He found a special flute he purchased a long time ago. He figured that he should head over to the main building, eat an early breakfast and maybe ease his worries with some soft music.

* * *

Monet looked around. She was scared, not because that Emplate was attacking the school. What scared her was that Rich had gone missing. She feared that her brother might have found Rich in his neutral state. If that was the case, she figured that Emplate would manipulate Rich into hurting everybody. She continued searching the campus when Penance jumped in front of her. She almost smiled when she saw Penance, at least until she noticed Penance hands. She saw that she was one of Emplate's slaves now. She started to back away from Penance. She knew that Penance would now kill her. She moved backwards faster and faster until she backed into something. She turned, only to be knocked off her feet. She turned to see Rich standing there, with a grin on his face. "Rich, did you knock me down thinking I was Emplate. I hope you're Ok." 

He eyed her with a look of what appeared to be hunger. She realized what was happening when he reached out to grab her. His hands had the mouths that her brother's had. Emplate must be controlling him. She tried to attack, but he grabbed her so quickly that she was surprised. He finally spoke as she tried to break the death grip on her, with no hope of doing so. "You are probably thinking, who is in control. Rich, or Emplate. Well Monet, this should answer your question." All of a sudden, she felt a pain in each arm. She felt the stabbing continue as if she was losing a part of herself. All of sudden, she felt as if she were dying. Her immunity to Emplate wasn't working. Rich must have been in control of his thoughts, even though, he had her brother's abilities. She felt as she was about to die when she shut her eyes and screamed. 

She awoke in her own bed. She sat up and looked around. Everyone thought that Rich was a terrific person. She had just seen a possibility that Rich would be more dangerous that anyone imagined. She got up, and got dressed. She looked at the clock, it read 4:30 AM. She decided that she would quietly head over to the main building and read. She was dreading meeting with Rich later today. He could learn some things about her, that she never told anyone. 

She moved quietly to the main building and entered it. She heard music, or more specifically, a flute. She followed the sound, until she entered the kitchen. She looked in the door and didn't see anyone. She figured that someone broke in and was hiding. She slowly advanced and said, "Ok, whoever you are. I not afraid to hurt you, so give up." The flute stopped and she turned to see someone sitting at the table. She jumped in fright when she saw who it was. 

"It's just me, Rich. I woke up with a terrible nightmare. I take it that the same happened to you." His voice was almost calm. He almost returned to playing his odd flute when he stopped and looked back at her. "Do you mind talking about it?" 

Monet hesitated in answering. How could she talk to him about her nightmare. He was at the very base of it. She then said, "I don't think you would like to here about my nightmare. It might not be the best thing for you to hear." 

He looked at her almost knowingly. "It was about me. Your reaction gave it away. I wonder if our nightmares are linked in some way. My nightmare's feature player was your brother. Now could we talk about these nightmares, or do I have to find out about it later. I hate learning stuff using my ability." 

Monet was almost amazed at how quick he read her actions. She finally when to a seat a little ways from him. "Okay, Rich, let's talk about our nightmares. You tell me what your was about." 

He placed the odd flute down and looked at her. "Monet, I dreamed that something terrible happened to the school. I looked for everybody. I knew someone was following me, but when I made a wrong turn, I was trapped by your brother. He forced his ability onto me. I woke up just as I transformed into him." 

She gasped and then said, "Rich, that was similar to my dream, except that you had control of your mutant abilities. You had his abilities and attacked me. You were.. supping on me. My immunity didn't kick in. I figured something was wrong, when Penance was the same." 

Rich's eyes went wide. She could tell that he was in love with Penance as he shook in anger. "No, I won't let him get control of her." 

"Rich, I wonder if you were controlling her." 

"How could you say such a thing, that I would do such a thing to her." 

"If Emplate had controlled you at the time, it is possible. I just hope that this doesn't happen in real life." 

Rich picked up the flute. He seemed a bit upset, by the way his hand shook. He seemed to almost be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He looked at Monet and said, "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt Penance. I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to hurt anyone, unless I have to." 

She wanted to comfort him, but she couldn't try to get near him. She noticed the flute again and decided to ask. "Rich, do you play music?" He looked like he almost forgot about the flute and then nodded. "Why don't you play a little bit of music on that flute. It is a flute, isn't it?" 

He looked at it and said, "Yes, I had specially purchased. I have become quite a master at this instrument, as well as the violin." He put the flute to lips and started to play a tune. Monet recognized the piece as "In The Hall Of The Mountain King." She listened and clapped when he finished the peace. Rich then said, "It amazing to learn tunes by ear." He then played an excerpt from Swan Lake. He was playing it perfectly until he hit a sour note. He was startled by the sound of someone running. Monet turned to see Paige run in, to get a water bottle for her morning jog. 

"Good morning, all. Ah'm surprised to see that you are up so early Rich." Paige probably wasn't aware why Rich was up so early. It was obviously apparent that Paige was surprise by Rich's habits. It must have been obvious that Rich was not an early morning riser. 

"Normally, Paige, I am in bed until around 7:30. This is an unusual case. I have only woken up this early about twice in my life. I would rather not mention it now." Monet wondered if Rich decided not to mention something about the nightmare he had. He then bowed to her and left the room. 

"He does seem to be an odd one, doesn't he?" Paige asked. 

"Yes, Paige. He can communicate with Penance. From what I can figure, he can detect Emplate before we would even know it. He seems to be a very unique mutant. Paige, do you think that he could be a bit of a problem, with his mutant ability?" 

"I don't think he wants to be. I mean, he could be, but his own mind would allow it?" 

Paige had made a good point. Monet decided to think about it for a while. She kept thinking about until the next voice she heard was Jubilee's. 

* * *

Sean was not surprised at all, but his big question was what caused her to space out this time. "Okay, what got her spaced out this time." 

Paige, who had just gotten in from her morning jog, said, "She spaced out when we were talking about Rich. When I said something about him not hurting people, she just spaced out." 

Jubilee, who had just walked in said, "Do you want me to get Rich? I saw him over in the lounge, play a weird flute." 

Sean thought it over and might be good to get Rich over here. Rich might have some insight to what lead to Monet's recent spell. "Ye better go get the lad, Jubilee. If worse comes to worse, we might need Rich to pull her out." 

Jubilee quickly left the room and then returned with Rich walking in after her. He had a calm look on his face, yet it was a look of little sleep. Rich looked straight and Sean and said, "What's up?" 

Sean signed and said, "Rich, do you have any idea why Monet went into one of her spells?" 

Rich looked and Monet and asked, "Is she cataleptic?" 

"No, lad, she is autistic. Apparently, she started thinking about something, and since you talked to her before, and she asked about you, I can only assume that you might have an insight." 

Rich let a look of regret cross his face, as if he knew something was going to happen. He then said, "Maybe I shouldn't mention my nightmare to her. I hate it when my mind does things like this. I wish I had a better idea why it happens." Rich started pacing. 

"Well what was this nightmare about, Richard." Sean turned to see Emma standing at the door to the kitchen. "I think you would want to consult me about it." 

"Ms. Frost," Rich said almost calmly, "I would not like to subject anybody to my nightmares. I might have made a mistake telling Monet. If it would be Ok with everybody, I like to get on with today, I think......" His words trailed off and Sean looked at Emma. Her eyes had a glow in them that signal the use of her telepathic abilities. He collapsed on the floor as the glow disappeared from her eyes. 

"Ms. Frost," Jubilee yelled, "how could you do that? Maybe there was a reason he didn't want to say anything." 

Sean was almost ready to talk when he saw a look on Emma face. "Emma, I take it you are regretting what you did?" 

"Sean, he believes his nightmares are signals of the future. He's afraid his nightmare will come true, and since it is concealed in his mind very deeply, I hope it doesn't. It must be something he is greatly afraid of." 

It was then Sean noticed that Monet had snapped out, for she had let out a gasp of surprise. "That's why he was afraid." She then looked down to the floor and saw Rich lying there. "Did Ms. Frost scan his mind?" 

Sean spoke up, "Aye, she did that, lass. Now Monet, can ye tell us what Rich said about his nightmare." He hoped that Monet would say something about this instead of lapsing into one of her autistic spells. 

Just as Monet was about to say something, Rich finally was gathering his wits about him. He abruptly shouted, "Monet, say one word and I will make our little talk earlier common knowledge." He started to get up and looked at Emma. It was obvious that he was not happy with her. "Ms. Frost, if I wanted everyone to know about those dreams that I occasionally have, I would have said something. Trust is an item I usually give to people. If you want to know about me, Ms. Frost, you must prove yourself worthy of my trust. So far, only one person here has earned that, and I take it that most of you have figured out who that is." He turned and went to leave the room. Sean probably could guess where he was going to go. He decided that their was only one way to calm Rich down. 

"Everybody, could you please leave. I think the lad needs some time to be alone." He noticed that Rich stopped and turned. Sean looked at Rich, there was a look of knowledge on his face. Sean had a feeling that Rich knew what was going to happen. Sean gave a look at everyone and they all left the room. Emma stayed behind, a little shook up from what she had learned. 

Rich still have a look of anger on his face and said, "If you want to talk, Mr. Cassidy, I will, but I would like an apology from Ms. Frost before I speak." It was obvious that Rich was angry, and he was going to live up to his heritage. British people could be stubborn, and Rich was definitely going to let that be true. 

Emma had just gotten her wits together and said, "I'm sorry, Richard. I had thought that it would be best to see if you did know about what had caused Monet's spell. When you mentioned your nightmare, I thought I could understand better. It appears you have locked all those fears up. You only let those tales out when you want to tell them. I couldn't even get into them. Could you tell us what you fear will happen?" 

Sean couldn't believe it, Emma Frost had been humbled. He also had to agree with Emma. This had shaken Rich up. The last time Rich was shaken up was when he saw the image of Emplate. "Lad, I know you told Monet, but why? And could you tell us? If you are going to be here as a student, you must trust us." 

Rich sat down at the table and said, "I will say this, Monet and I both had nightmares. I do not want to say what it was about. If you want me to say anything, just ask her if it is alright first. Just let me calm down, I don't want anybody to worry more than they have to." 

Sean turned to Emma and said, "Emma, I going to talk to Monet for a moment. Can you keep an eye on Rich for a moment." He noticed that Rich had started to play his flute. Emma had nodded and Sean went to talk to Monet. He found her and said, "Monet, I need to ask you something." 

Monet turned from the window and said, "Is it about the nightmare Rich had?" 

"That it is, lass. He doesn't want to tell us about the nightmare unless he has your consent." Sean had hopped that she would respond. He watched as Monet nodded, but it was apparent that she was upset about it." 

He turned to head back to the kitchen when Monet said, "I would like to be there, with you, when he talks about his nightmare." 

"Alright." The two of them walked back to the kitchen. Sean still heard the flute and when they entered the kitchen he said to Rich, "Ok, lad. Monet said it was alright to tell us." 

Sean noticed then that he had opened a Pandora's Box when Rich put down his flute. "Brace yourselves, because here comes the hurricane." He started retelling the two nightmares and Sean realized that Rich had a good reason to fear his nightmares, if they were predictions of things to come.

* * *

He had just finished his tale of what the nightmares had been. Monet had shuddered after hearing both nightmares, because of the fact that they might come true. They all had a look of shell shock on their faces. "Do you all understand why I didn't want everyone to here this." 

Sean Cassidy spoke up first. "It took some bravery on your part to tell us about this. I know that some people have difficulty telling there secrets and fears. I hope that that bravery rubs off on some of the other." He gave a look at Monet and she had a humbled look on her face. 

"I guess no matter what, the truth will always be revealed. It makes me wonder how overwhelmed we will be when all the truths that Monet holds in her head, come rushing out." Monet had a bit of a scared look on her face when he said that. Rich knew that he wasn't on her favorites list, but it was obvious that she tolerated him. He figured it would be best to change the subject. "Mr. Cassidy, could you tell me what's on the schedule for me today?" 

Sean must have noticed how uncomfortable Rich had been with formality. "Rich, it be alright with me if ye call me Sean. Now, I plan to have you meet with all the students today, excluding the wee lads, and Emma and myself. I am going to give you the option of how you want to go through the line-up." 

Rich felt a little confused by this. "I am a little confused by what you said. Now what do you mean?" 

"Well, I was thinking that you could meet everybody again, by codename, such as mine is Banshee, and Emma's is White Queen, or by last name." 

"Who would be first if it was by codename?" 

"That would be Jono." 

"Considering what happened last time, I think it would be best if we went be last name." 

"Alright, that means you'll be with Angelo Espinosa first." 

"Let me see, he's the one with the extendable skin. I hope I don't get the craving for a cigarette." He thought about it for a while. Rich wondered if he made the wrong choice by making his choice that way. "I wonder if I made a mistake," he muttered under his breath. 

Sean left the room. He was again alone in the room with Emma Frost. This was one person he would have a hard time trusting. He kept an eye on her at all times. He didn't want her invading his mind again. As he was waiting for Sean to come back with Angelo, Emma Frost broke the silence. "Richard, judging by the way you are watching me, I take it you don't trust me." 

He couldn't hide the venom in his voice. "Really, how would you like it if I decided to take a trip into your mind and learn your deepest darkest secrets, with you knowing it. It like breaking into you house while you are there. That's what it feels like. I could compare it to something worse, but I think you get the picture." 

"I'm sorry about what I did, but you have to understand that I was doing it to find out what happened to Monet. You have to admit that I had a good reason." 

"If I didn't want to say anything, you could have respected my wishes. Under different circumstances, your little intrusion can be excused, but not then." 

"Alright. Just remember that if you are not in control of what you are doing, I will try to stop you, using my abilities." 

Rich thought about it. It might be a good idea to have her around, incase someone like Emplate attacked and controlled him. "I think I understand what you mean, but if you want information about me, just ask me." She nodded and Sean walked in with Angelo following him. 

"Well Rich, I was thinking that you can use your abilities and train in the Biosphere." Rich nodded and decided it was time he learned about Angelo and his abilities. 


	8. Bonding

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 7 Bonding 

Angelo was wondering what Sean had in mind. He figured that Emma might of had a hand in this as well, but with Rich's abilities, the Biosphere seemed the perfect place. He noticed that Jubilee had taken Penance out of the building. When they entered the Biosphere, Sean said to the two of them. "Angelo, Rich is going to have to learn more about everyone, especially if he doesn't want his ability going chaotic. He decided to go through everyone by their names." 

Angelo finally realized that it more so for Rich's sake. Angelo nodded and then turned to Rich. "So, Rich, how would you like to begin. Talking, or using mutant ability." Rich seemed to have an air of mystery about him. 

Rich stepped forward and said, "We don't have much to talk about, unless I start to mimic you." Rich looked at his body and Angelo noticed the same thing that Rich did. His skin appeared to be melting. "Angelo, I hope your codename makes sense for this." 

Angelo almost laughed and then remembered what he went through when his ability first appeared. He approached Rich and said, "It'll be Okay, amigo. Just concentrate. It takes some time, but it will work. It strains the mind, but it can be done." He watched as Rich slowly pulled his skin tight and looked like himself again. "Feeling better?" 

You must have a sense of humor to cope with this. Is that why you are such a joker?" 

"Sometimes, I couldn't pull this stuff back home. I suppose you probably now know about my life in the hood." 

"I can only see glimpses of it. It appears that it wasn't as traumatic as other things." 

"Oh, why do you say that?" 

"You leaving the hood, it was the biggest sacrifice you ever made, and you lived to regret it." Angelo realized that Rich must have latched onto his battle with the X-Cutioner. He had to admit, the only thing he thought was good in his life, he was regretting. 

"Your right on that, there are sometimes that I wish I could go back home. But, I can't. I remember how much my 'death' changed things back home. I was there, in disguise, and saw what it had done." 

Rich gave him a knowing glance. "You miss her, don't you?" Angelo knew who Rich was talking about. Angelo decided it was time to change the topic. He gave Rich a mean glance. Rich just said, "Oh Kay, Let's talk about you're mutant ability. So, what can you do with this ability." 

"Watch." Angelo distended his skin and grabbed a nearby tree. He used his skin to pull himself up into the tree. He turned around only to see that Rich was only a foot away from him, doing the same thing. 

"I see, a living bungee cord. Oh joy. Tell me. It this all that you can do?" 

"As of right now, yes. That's why I got the code name Skin. I'm trying to lean to do more, mainly so I can live a normal life." Angelo spent the rest of the time he was with Rich showing other aspects, and flaws of have 6 ft of extra skin.

* * *

Paige looked around the Biosphere. She had seen Angelo, and Sean had told her that it was her turn to meet with Rich. She was a bit nervous, but she could handle it. She still had in her mind that she was going to be an X-Man just like her brother Sam. Paige almost jumped in fright when Rich stepped out in front of her. "Calm down, Paige. I was waiting for Angelo's ability to leave me." 

"Ah'm alright. You just startled me. I take it you are ready to learn about my mutant ability." 

"Let's see. Find out what it's like to rip my skin off my body. Now's a good time as ever." He stepped forward and said, "Now, how do I control this, by the way, what is your code name?" 

"Husk. Now first, you got to thing you have to do is focus on what you want to take the form of. Then, it is just ripping your skin off." Paige decided to demonstrate by ripping her skin off and revealing a body of pure diamond. 

Rich just looked at her and said, "It must play havoc with your wardrobe. Well, I must well try this ability." He started ripping at his skin and revealed a body of obsidian. 

Paige thought that he must be stuck on the color black. He choose a black element and she said, "Ah think that the color suits you, Rich." 

"And I think that Penance might become jealous if she hears that. Besides, there is already someone who cares for you, he just is having trouble accepting the feeling back from you. Try to patch things up with him." Deep down, Paige knew that Rich was right, but she still could forgive Jono for what had happened at her home on Thanksgiving. She was almost lost in that painful memory when Rich finally said, "Paige, how long does these changes usually last." 

"What, Ah'm sorry, Ah was lost in thought. The phase changes usually last about as long as needed. Watch." She ripped of the diamond skin that she had and reverted back to a normal state. 

"Ladies and gentleman, this is an interesting ability. I take it that sometimes you aren't really in descent wear for your ability to wear out." 

Paige blushed and said, "That's true. Ah sometimes have to rip my uniform off. Ah must have had the most uniforms of the whole team." 

"Since I am a gentleman, I will not look in your direction at those times." 

Paige seemed to notice many times before that Rich was a gentleman. "Don't worry, Ah usually cover up before that happens. That has to one of the drawbacks of mah mutant ability. Rich, I know I mentioned this earlier, but you don't seem to be used to waking early." 

"That's true Paige, and don't try to hide your accent, it's who you are. One should never be ashamed of who they are. Now, why do you ask?" 

"Ah was wondering if you would like to jog with me. It's one of the few times Ah can relax." 

"Alright, I see you at 6AM or 6:30?" 

"6:30. I do a workout every morning." She decided to leave after that. She figured that Rich knew enough about her, than she could ever tell him. She knew that the process of husking was time consuming, but Rich's own ability had to pull him out of it also. She decided she leave early, so Jubilee wouldn't see the sight. Jubilee still thought it was a degusting ability.

* * *

Jubilee had entered the biosphere quietly. She had learned a few things in her days with Wolvie and the X-Men. She had talked briefly to Paige before she enter. Paige told her how Rich had surprised her. Jubilee was determined to surprise Rich. She knew that it might not be the best way for Rich to experience her abilities, but it might prepare Rich for something that he will encounter. She noticed Rich waiting by a small stream that was in the biosphere. As she approached him, she noticed that he put his hand to his head. He seemed to be in a bit of pain. She realized he mistake when she screamed. He jumped in fright and she saw a dozen pyrotechnic plasmoids knock her down. She was thankful that they were low level. She knew that she couldn't be hurt by her abilities, but Rich used them against her. 

He looked in shock. "I'm sorry. I wasn't in control. It is your own gut instinct, ya know." 

"I know. The last time I had someone scare me like that was .." 

He completed the sentence for her. "when Sabertooth broke free in the mansion. Jubilee, that scared you a lot and was traumatic for you." 

Jubilee knew that he was right. She knew that he knew the reason by now and said, "It was the first time Wolvie wasn't there for me. I honestly thought that I was going to die." She almost broke into tears. She then noticed that Rich had walked over to her and sat down. 

"I hope I never run into Sabertooth, if that is any consolation to you. And, I am sorry for plasma attack. Jubilee, what was it like, being an X-Man?" 

Jubilee was surprised by what Rich said. "You want to here about when I was with the X-Men! Nobody wants to here those stories. Why do you want to here them?" 

He looked at her and said, "Jubilee, don't take any of this as an offense, Okay. What you lack in maturity, you make up for in experience and wisdom." 

She was almost glowing when she heard that. "Wow, do you always say stuff like that or is it just who you are?" 

He turned his head, acting as he was looking for someone else and said, "Alright, who told you I like to startle people. I can't believe someone started a rumor like that about me." 

She started to laugh and he smiled. "Ok, I take it you like to startle people." 

"Of course I do, I like to start that rumor. By the way, Jubilee, is that your codename?" 

"Yea. It was my nickname in school, and it stuck when I joined the X-Men along time ago. It doesn't truly relate to my abilities, as you have figured out is to shoot pyrotechnic plasmoids. I used to entertain kids in a mall back in So Cal with them." 

"So, how did you get hooked up with the X-Men." 

"Long story, which I can tell you later. Anything you want to know about by ability, a bit more maybe." 

"How dangerous is your ability, Jubes?" 

The way he said it was almost like how some of the X-Men had said it. She always thought of the X-Men as a family for her, and then Generation X, and now Rich seemed to becoming the new member of the family. She thought about his question, though, because it was odd. "Why do want to know, Rich?" 

"Jubilee, when you snuck up on me, your own personality took became merged with mine. I had a brief headache. The reactions, the actions, they are all you, including that you fear your ability. When your mad, you can't control the sparks. I have a nasty temper, if I let it loose. I have controlled it for a long time. The last time I let it lose was, well I forget. It wasn't a pretty sight." 

"You mean when you chew out Emma?" 

"No, that was just a fraction of the rage that I hold bottled up." Jubilee's eyes went wide at that. Could Rich hold so much anger in him that she wondered if he was more dangerous than all of villains that Gen X and the X-Men faced. 

She decided to answer his question. "Rich, I know that when I'm fuming, I don't have much control. I once leveled a house with my fireworks." 

"Remind me to stay away from you when I'm mad," he said with a smile. 

Jubilee decided to be a little bit devilish. She looked at him. "Rich." 

"Yes." 

"Stay away from me when you're mad." 

"You have a little devilish streak in you, don't you." He started to laugh and then said, "How about telling me one story about you and the X-Men." 

He seemed destine to here her tell about her life with the X-Men. She decided to tell him about the time she save Wolvie's life.

* * *

Mondo entered the Biosphere and walked in Rich's direction. Rich still had a bit of Jubilee's power and was shooting sparks from his fingers. Mondo thought that Rich's ability was similar to that of Everett's and his combined for some reason. He slowly approached Rich and said, "Olla, Rich, how are you." 

Rich looked at Mondo and said, "Hello Mondo. I'm just waiting for Jubilee's power to leave so I can learn about your ability. Tell me Mondo, what exactly is your ability, and your codename." 

Mondo just smiled. He looked at Rich and said, "My name is my codename. That is how life works. Life just does what it does." 

Rich looked at him and said, "You have an interesting look on life, Mondo. But, what is your ability." 

"Well, I have been called an omnimorph. Watch." Mondo placed his hands on the ground and looked at Rich. Rich had a look on his face that could only be amazement. Mondo was starting to absorb the ground and was transforming into it. Rich finally understood what was going on. Rich then stepped towards him did the same. 

"Looks simple. Let me try." Rich started to do the same and Mondo was simply amazed. Rich had copied his ability and was using it. Mondo watched as he turned into the same ground that he had absorbed. "Interesting ability, Mondo, what can you do with it?" 

"It is simple my friend, come along." Mondo shifted into the ground and Rich followed. For about ten minutes, Rich and himself shifted all over the biosphere. Eventually Rich started to retake a human form. Mondo slowly reformed and said to Rich, "Is something wrong, my friend." 

Rich looked a little flushed and said, "Could you help me get to someplace with water, I need to take some medication." 

Mondo started to worry. "Rich, are you Ok? Are you feeling well?" 

"It's nothing to worry about Mondo. I take medication for my epilepsy. It's just that I feeling a little uneasy as well." Mondo helped Rich out of the Biosphere and back to the main building. They entered the kitchen only to run into Sean and the three boys, Artie, Leech and Franklin. Sean was fixing them a little lunch. Sean must have felt like a father to the kids. 

Sean looked at Rich and said, "Is something wrong?" 

"Nothing a little medication won't take care of, and a little lunch?" Mondo almost was started question what Rich said earlier, at least until Rich said, "The medication for my epilepsy requires food to be in my stomach." Rich managed to get some food together and took his medication. Mondo realized that Rich seemed to be dependant on it. 

Mondo's own concern seemed to be shared by Sean. "Rich, isn't there another way to take care of your epilepsy?" 

Rich looked at Sean and said, "Not without having my brain hacked up. I feel that the medication is the less dangerous option. I'll be on it for life, but it is better than living with half a mind." Mondo now thought he had a better understand why Rich had such a view on life. 


	9. Bonding Part II

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 8 Bonding, Part II 

Penance looked out at the sky above her. It was a while after Jubilee had taken her from the Biosphere. It was just a couple of moments after the time when the shadows disappear. She had decided to go to the room that the food was kept. She entered the room to see the noisemaker was in the room. He had gotten an apple from the fruit basket. He must have been getting ready to find her. Jubilee had left her awhile ago. He turned to her and said something. She remembered that Rich said his name was Sean. He said something to her as he handed her the apple. She could make out some of the words. One that she made out was Biosphere, the building where the outdoors was indoors. She then was overjoyed with another word he said. Rich. She was going to see Rich again. He must have been in the Biosphere. She ran out of the building and toward the Biosphere. She heard the noisemaker was following behind her. She wondered what he wanted. 

Penance entered the building and started looking around. She looked around for Rich. The noisemaker yelled out his name. It wasn't long until she heard his voice. {Hi Yvette.} She turned to see him walk out into the open. He had transformed into her form again. She ran over and gave him a hug. The noisemaker started to say something and Rich held up his hand. Rich returned the hug and said, {He was about to warn me about how sharp your skin is. I guess he was afraid you would hurt me.} 

Penance looked into his eyes. {I would never hurt you, Rich. I don't want to do anything to lose you. Now, what has been happening to you today?} 

{I've been meeting everybody today, Yvette. I have met with Angelo, Paige, Jubilee and Mondo. After I spend some time with you, I get to meet Monet, Jono, and Everett. It's just been so eventful, but it has been a long day} He sat down and continued, {Yvette, I had a terrible dream last night. One I fear is a premonition. I'm afraid that He is coming, the one that everyone calls Emplate.} 

Penance started to shudder, {Rich, He might try to take me again. He tried it before. I hope that we can avoid Him. If He gets control of you, I couldn't do anything to fight you. I couldn't even think of hurting you.} 

Rich looked in her eyes and said, {Yvette, if He does control me, try to run. Knowing that you are free might give me a chance to escape. Even the smallest hope is all that is need.} 

{Wouldn't it be a lost cause?} 

{A famous person once said, "Lost causes are the only causes worth fighting for."} Rich stopped talking and looked and the noisemaker. He seemed to be saying something. She could only make out one word "Name". Rich nodded and said, {Sean is wondering what your name is. Should I tell him?} 

She thought about it for a while. She had gotten used to everyone saying Penance or Penny. She heard the words often enough and was used to them. She got used to trusting everybody here and felt that she could let them know her name. {You can tell him, but I do like the nickname Penny.} 

{Penance could be your codename.} He smiled when he said it. She felt like that she would faint. She was truly in love with him. He then started drawing some symbols in the ground. He had done that last night, when he was teaching her English. She started to recognized the symbols. The first six were her name. Some of the others formed Penny and Penance. She noticed the world name had appeared twice. The rest of the time they were together, she let Rich know what was okay to tell, and what she didn't want to tell, just yet. Some thing had to voiced. Towards the end, Rich finally said, {Shall we meet tonight, to learn more about the English language.} 

{I'll be waiting.} She then decide to do something a little bit bold. She went up to Rich and kissed him. She then ran out of the building, past the man named Sean. She had notice that Sean had a look of amazement on his face.

* * *

Rich felt like he was on cloud nine. If he had a flying ability right now, he would be soaring. Rich also noticed the amazement on Sean's face. It was then when the Headmaster of the school said, "I cannae believe what I saw. Penance kissed ye. I still cannae believe that you can touch her without being shredded." Rich started to laugh and the reaction that Sean was giving. He knew that his laugh wouldn't be vocalized since he still had Yvette's ability, but he was happy, and 

relaxed. He started to laugh and Sean went, "You think this is funny. You're laughing at this because of me reaction." 

Rich couldn't believe it. Sean had heard his laugh. Rich decided to try and speak. It was easier this time when he said, "You can hear me? Maybe I have can tell her what to do to talk." 

Sean smiled. "Rich, getting Penance to tell us a little more about herself, even if it is through ye, is a remarkable feat. If ye can get her to talk, that you mean many changes for us all. We might be able to even find a way to stop Emplate." 

Rich was listening to all this as he climbed into a tree. It was hard to stay still, probably because of Yvette's life in the clutches of that monster. Rich perched in the tree and said, "I know that Emplate is evil, but how bad can he make things." 

Sean had a solemn look on his face. "Rich, one of the members of the X-Men is a mutant named Bishop. He comes from about 80 years in the future. We know that he came back in time to stop the traitor of the X-Men, which he believes he did to a degree. He also told Monet how hundreds of being like Emplate live and hunt mutants." 

Rich thought about it for a moment. "Sean, I hope that if I get stuck in a particular mutant ability, I don't want it to be Emplate." 

"Rich, lad, how long will you have Penance's ability. I want you to meet with Monet next." 

"I think it will be about a while yet, Sean, but when you send Monet in, make sure she is alone. I don't think she wants anybody knowing about her secrets yet. She must reveal them to you as she wants to, not be forced into it." Sean nodded and left the Biosphere to get Monet St. Croix. Rich hopped that this might change her mind about him. She, in her nightmare, saw a side of him that he didn't think existed, but what if it did exist. May it not be the true, may he not have an evil bone in his body.

* * *

Monet entered the Biosphere cautiously. Sean had told her that Rich might still have Penance's abilities. Even after the talk she had with Rich earlier, she didn't want to meet him. His ability could allow him to find out some things she didn't want know. She then realized that he could find out everything about her brother, and maybe.. no he could find out about that. She 

never wanted to tell anyone how she discovered her abilities, or what had happened that led to that discovery. She almost jumped when she heard movement to her left. She turned to see Rich walking out of the trees, brushing the leaves off his shirt and pants. He looked at her and said, "Hello Monet, I guess it's time to face the music. Monet, I want to let you know that what ever I find out about you, I will not tell a single soul unless you wish me to tell." 

Monet felt very relieve at that. "Rich, I thank you for that. I want you to be careful, although. I have not had a happy family life." 

Rich started to step toward her and said, "I can imagine. Now, Monet, what is you codename, and your abilities." 

Monet turned started to levitate and said, "Well, Richard, my codename is M. My abilities are flying, super-strength, super-speed. I also have night vision" She looked over in the trees and said, "In the darkness of those trees, I can see evidence that Penance perched in the tree over there, or maybe they were places when you landed while you had..." 

"Monet!!" The sound of Rich's yell had stopped her talking. She looked at Rich and noticed that he was clutching his arms. "Monet, why are my arms bleeding?" 

"Mon Dieu, if I knew that this was going to happen, I wouldn't have agreed to this. This is how my ability first appeared." She grabbed him and flew him over to the control room of the Biosphere where the robots were controlled for training. She found the first-aid kit and bandaged his arms. She decided to explain to Rich how her ability first appeared, the truth of how her ability appeared, not the story she would tell others. "Rich, my ability first appeared when I was in my 

early teens. My brother, Emplate, had left the house a while before, but my father always said he would return. The one time he returned, I was reading a book. He had snuck up behind be and grabbed me by arms. He had bit into my arms and started to consume my abilities. The first ability was to see mutagenic auras. To identify mutants by there auras, I used to have that ability as well as he did. I felt I could warn mutant of my brother, but I lost that ability, at least I think it's gone. It was then I discovered my immunity as a psionic explosion knocked him away. But my arms we bleeding for a while afterwards." 

"Well, my wounds will heal when your abilities leave me. I don't want this to affect any chances and a friendship." 

For the first time since Rich had arrived, Monet honestly felt comfortable around him. Monet then decided, "Rich, I think I should show you about my ability." With that, she started to show Rich all the things she could do. The two of them flew, and tested all the other aspects of her ability.

* * *

When Jono had entered the Biosphere, he noticed that Monet was still there, standing about 10 feet from Rich. He wondered why Monet was still here. He started to approach Rich and said, _"'Ello Rich, do you mind me asking why Monet is still here?"_

Rich just looked at him calmly and said, "Jono, after the incident yesterday, I thought it would be best if something, or someone kept me from flying when I get your ability. I asked Monet to catch me if I go flying again." 

_"I understand, I know I wounded someone the first time my ability appeared. Be careful although, you might wound Monet."_

"I don't think he will, Jono. He told me to stand behind him, and catch him if he went flying." Monet said as she moved directly behind him. 

"Well, Jono, let's get this over with." He approached Jono rather quickly and stopped just as an explosion knocked Rich backwards. Monet caught him and dropped back where he was standing when the explosion started. He nodded at Monet as she left the Biosphere. He then turned to Jono and said _"Well, Jono, what codename did you set stuck with?"_

Jono was a bit surprised at how comfortable Rich had seemed with his ability. _"Well, Rich, my codename is Chamber. I guess you had an interesting first couple of days here so far."_

_"Well, yes. Communicating with Penance, the party, getting to know everybody, part of me wishes it would never end. How about you first day, gov?"_

Jono thought back on the day he joined Generation X. He didn't know how much Rich knew about that. _"Rich, can I ask you what you can sense as traumatic in my life?"_

_"Let's see, your powers manifestation, the two ladies, Paige and someone else, that's what is almost predominant. After I while, I might see you first day here as well."_

_"Ok, well I will tell you now. The first day I was in America, Emplate attacked me, tried to kill me, and Penance ran amok."_ Rich's eyes went wide and Rich just stood in one spot. Jono thought something was wrong with him and said, _"Rich, what's wrong?"_

_"Emplate attacked on your first day. I hope he does attack until I been here for a while. Actually I hope he doesn't attack at all, ever."_

_"I was able to overcome his attack, Rich, I think you could do it."_

_"Jono, I would transform in to him. The only way I could overcome an attack would be in control of myself. It is a far cry different than him chowing down on you."_

_"Maybe your right, gov, but anything can be overcome. I mean look at me. I survived what happened to me."_

_"No, you haven't, Jono. You are a very angry person, because you are a mutant. You helped Penance because you saw her as a kindred spirit. A mutant who couldn't be accepted into society, no matter how hard they try."_

Jono thought that Rich knew how to point out a character. Rich was in his persona, he knew the truth. Jono then said, _"Rich, you have no idea what I have gone through in my life. The one that I love does return the feelings, because I blew it. I thought she wanted a normal life."_

_"Jono, there is the problem. You have this preconceived notion of normal. Normal does not exist in nature. Normal is not the course of nature, it is not the course of the universe. Time judges what happens. Let time take its course and you will be in the world that you are destine for. Apologize for the mistake and try to correct them. Now can you show me some the aspects of your ability."_

Jono had listen to Rich's view on the world and decided he would think about it. He then decided that Rich should learn all about the psionic abilities that he had.

* * *

"Like, I don't see why I should come along, Ev." 

Everett looked at Jubilee with caring eyes. "Jubes, Rich is going to mimic my abilities. The only way that I can show him how to use them is to have another mutant around, and I figured that your ability would be the best for him to get in synch with." He took her hand and said, "Besides, I think it might be a change of pace. He probably had a hard time mimicking Jono, and from what you told me, he seems to be the only person who wants to her your stories." 

Everett enjoyed seeing Jubilee smile. "Thanks, Ev, I hope your not going to be jealous." He knew that he and Jubilee had been through a lot together. They had survived the Phalanx, they had been through a lot together, and she did her best to comfort him after Emplate enthralled him. He then noticed that Rich was just sitting in the field. He watch Rich in amazement as his face reformed from the flare that was Chambers ability. 

Rich looked in his direction and said, "You must be Everett Thomas. I do believe I already know the Jubster. Why is she here?" Everett was caught of guard at what Rich said. It was obvious Rich noticed as he said, "I will probably come up with a nickname for everybody, Ev-man. You like that one." 

Everett thought that Rich was almost like him, and then he said, "Rich, are you mimicking my abilities." 

Rich stood up and walked over to Everett. He looked him square in the eye and said, "Now, I have your abilities. It seems the worse event in your life was that deal with Emplate." He noticed Rich shuddered when he mentioned Emplate. He can understand that. 

"Okay Rich, let me make this simple. My codename is Synch." 

Rich looked at him and said, "Why?" Rich jumped back when Everett's Technicolor aura appeared. "What the hell is that?" 

"Rich, that is my aura. It gets in synch with any mutants abilities. That is why I had Jubilee come in." He turned to Jubilee and said, "Jubilee, how about you go hide somewhere. I want to show Rich some to the aspects of my ability." 

"Okay. Let me guess, I'm the prey in a hunt." 

Rich just looked at her and shook his head. As she ran off into the Biosphere, Everett looked at him and said, "What did you that for?" 

Rich just looked at him and said, "She was referring to a time when Sabertooth almost killed her. She is still shaky about anything like that." 

"I see. Rich, does that insight into people always happen when your ability kicks in." 

"Each and every time. It's lousy, but it's life." 

"Alright, now Rich, I want you to focus on Jubilee's mutant ability for now, Okay." He watched as the aura appeared around Rich. 

"Well, that's different," Rich exclaimed as he shot out sparks from his hand. "Is that what your codename means, Ev, this aura gets in synch with a mutant in the area." 

"You have that correct. I'm just wondering what it will do if I get in synch with you?" 

"Maybe you might get part of my ability, maybe accepting personalities. My mimicking ability might not appear on you." 

"I understand. Now, I think Jubilee has hidden herself in the biosphere. We are going to track her down. Just launch your aura after her. It will track her down." With one thought, Everett's own aura flew. One second, the aura around Rich flew out and Everett said, "We have to stay close to them, Rich." 

"I know, your still not sure on the range." With that, the two rushed of after the auras. They stopped when they almost fell over Jubilee. Rich kneeled down to where she was hiding and said "Tag, you're it." He turned back to Everett and said, "Ev, are you confident with your ability." 

Everett could hide his pride on that fact. "Rich, I have gotten used to my ability and feel confident when using it. I take it you don't feel confident with yours." 

"Only when I am in control of it. My confidence comes from who I am mimicking." Everett was not surprised by this. What that meant was that Rich would only be as comfortable as whoever he was near. Everett decided that maybe he could help that confidence.   
  
  
  
  
  



	10. Calm Before The Storm

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 9 Calm Before the Storm 

When the day was starting to end, Rich finally left the Biosphere. He felt a little washed out, with all the changing and abilities. Rich walked back into the main building of the school and almost knocked over Emma Frost. He looked up at her and thought about her for a moment. She supposedly owned this school ground, but it was run in the dream that Charles Xavier had, before his rage created Onslaught. He wondered if she was similar to Xavier, and why she ran the school. He sensed a bit of unrest in her, about some students of hers. Is that why she was so protective about Generation X? 

"So, Richard, how has your first day here?" she asked in a calm voice. He looked at her suspiciously. He didn't really trust her, but she gave the effort to try to get on his good side. 

"It has been going well, Ms. Frost. I take it there is a reason you stopped me." 

"Yes, Richard, there is. I want to talk to you about condition." 

"I take it your not referring to my mutant ability, but to the medical condition." 

"Indeed. Richard, is there any chance that you might have a seizure at a critical time." 

Rich could see what was coming. It was her concern for the kids. He looked at her and said, "Ms. Frost, I have been on medication for epilepsy since I was in my early childhood. You don't have to worry about it. I haven't had a seizure since my childhood and my sleep." 

"I just hope you don't put us all in jeopardy in case someone attacks us. I honestly don't need you to go into a seizure at the worse time." There was a concern in her voice that Rich could only associate with one other thought. He easily placed it because he had seen it in one of his family. 

"You don't want to lose us like you lost the others, do you Emma?" It was the first time he saw Emma Frost as a mother type figure instead of someone else entirely different. She only turned and didn't face him. It was obvious that she must have forgotten his ability. She looked upset when he finally decided to say, "I know it's not in my power to promise this, but I have a good feeling that what happened to them, won't happen to us, no matter what is thrown at us." 

Emma only looked at him. It was obvious that he must have reached her, in some way. She then spoke, "That was the first time you called me Emma. Over the time you have been here, you have been cold and formal with me. For the first time, you have reached a kindness with me. Richard, you have been a bit of a blessing to the school. I think that the student, as well as myself and Sean, will benefit from you being here." 

Rich, for the first time while here at the school, felt comfortable around Emma Frost. She went back into her office and closed the door. He then continued to the foyer. He heard everybody's voices there. He walked into a very nasty argument. 

"I say that we go eat at McDonald's." There was no mistaking the hyper voice of Jubilee. She was obviously arguing with Monet. 

Rich observed the situation and thought back to his years in college. He saw this at his college before the Onslaught threat. That was obviously like his years in college, except everybody was younger. He walked in the room and went to say something when he saw in his peripheral vision that Sean was standing at the side of the door. Rich let a small grin cross his face. Paige looked in his direction and said to the others, "Listen, there's Rich. Let's ask him. He might want to eat out as well." 

Everybody turned and started yelling out suggestions. Monet mentioned the Olive Garden. Angelo and Everett mentioned Taco Bell. Mondo, obviously, didn't care where they went. Franklin and Jubilee both felt like McDonald's. Artie and Leech weren't around, but then, they stuck out like sore thumbs, due to skin color. Penance would be safest here at the school. Chamber didn't eat. Paige was suggesting Wendy's. He was almost sick of hearing everybody yelling out suggestions. He said calmly, "Enough, I made a choice." It was apparent that no one listened to him. He decided to give everybody a shock. He then yelled, "I said, enough." Jubilee had a look of shock be cause she realized what was happening. She jumped down and every got knocked down by a sonic scream. 

Sean looked at him and said, "That wasn't need, lad. I didnae even know ye had my abilities. I just wished ye didnae do that." 

Rich turned to Sean, "Sorry 'bout that, sir. I just had to stop them, besides they didn't seem to listen. Are you driving, Sean?" 

"Yes, but the kids can't decided where to go. They want you to make the decision." 

"Well I have. I wouldn't mind a meal at McDonald's." 

Jubilee jumped up and yelled, "Yes. McDonald's. I can't wait." She ran out the door and towards Sean's jeep. Everybody started to follow, complaining about the choice and cautious about making Rich upset. Rich started heading toward the door. 

Paige, who was the last person to exit waited for him. She looked at him and said, "Ah take it you have been in that situation." 

He looked at her. "Paige, I was a college student before coming here. That happened a lot." Rich then ran out the door for the jeep. He grabbed a seat right near Everett and in back of Monet. He then relaxed as Sean started the jeep up and drove for McDonalds.

* * *

D.O.A. stood near the limo he usually drove. The master had been a bit upset about missing that mutant at the airport. What had disturbed the master most was that the mutant couldn't be seen. He had seen Banshee leaving with a young man following him. The master spent most of the hours during the drive back to the lighthouse. The master had his Hellion's to feed him for a time, but he missed his favorite meal ticket. The fact that the master missed his favorite meal ticket had him think that eventually that he would have to drive him to the Xavier school. Any mutant he caught for the master understood what his name was. 

D heard a familiar voice from a month back. He turned in the direction of the McDonald's that was near him. He saw the mutants that the master went after. He notice Monet, the master's sister. He then saw Synch, the one that the master sent away. He watched as each mutant got out of the car. He let a very nasty thought cross his mind when Jubilee left the car. The master had a score to settle with her. He then saw the young man. The young man must be the mutant that the master mentioned. How could that be? The master would have attacked in an instant. He said that the mutant seemed to past by him. He watched as the group entered the McDonald's. He would drive back to the lighthouse and tell the master. 

D.O.A. started the limo and drove back to the lighthouse. The lighthouse was not far from where the McDonald's was, and the master like the privacy and decor of the lighthouse. He arrived at the lighthouse, he ran for the top floor of the lighthouse, passing the cell that use to hold the master's favorite meal. He entered the room at the top and exclaimed "Sir, I have good news for you." 

His master turned and stared at him with the yellowish-red eyes. Echoing through the respirator he wore, he said, "This had better be important, D. I am still very upset about the mutant from yesterday. I think he is at the school, but I can't be sure what type a mutant he is. I couldn't see an aura around him!" 

D let his smile get wider that it already was. "Well, he must be a student where your sister is, for I saw him with the mutants as they went to the local McDonald's. Should I round the Hellions together for an attack on the McDonald's." 

He watched the master and he finally said, "D. Get the Hellions together, we will attack the school in the morning. But, first I will check things out. I need to find out about that mutant. Then I shall capture and feast on all, and eliminate my sister." D. smiled as he left the room. The master was finally in a better mood. 

* * *

When they arrived back at the school, Jubilee watched as Rich ran for the Biosphere. She noticed that everyone was also watching. Sean only said, "I'm beginning to think that Rich is the best thing that has happened to Penance." 

Jubilee thought for a moment and said, "Sean, you mean to say that Rich is going to see Penny? Those two must have really hit it off." She then thought that with Rich's ability, he was the only one who could communicate with her, and from the roses yesterday, maybe there was a relationship starting between the two. She couldn't help but giggle when she thought of how they first met. 

Paige overheard her giggling and said, "What so funny about that, Jubilee. Penance finally has someone she trusts enough to relax, and Rich seems to trust her and is in love." 

"I'm thinking of how those two met. Remember, back in the assembly hall." 

Monet then started to giggle. She thought then said, "I see what you mean, Jubilee. It is almost ironic. He is more afraid to move towards Jono, and if you ask me, Jono's life is less traumatic then Penance's life has been." 

"And when she first approached him, that must have scared him more than it did her. But he sees her as an object of beauty. I wonder what the future holds for those two." 

Everett said, "I guess only time will answer that question. Hey, Jubilee, do you want to go for a walk." 

Jubilee didn't take a moment to think about it. She knew her answer right away. She looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Alright." And with that, she went with Everett as the happiest girl in the world.

* * *

Penance watched with joy when Rich finally entered the Biosphere. She jumped down from the tree she was in and he approached her. As he morphed into her form, she ran and embraced him. {I so happy to see you, Rich.} 

He smiled at her and said, {I know, Yvette, but right now I must tell you something. I think I know how we can get you to speak out loud. Can you relax a little bit, I think that also will allow your skin to become softer.} 

She thought about it for a moment. In most of her life, she had been very tense and never relaxed much. She felt she could do it. She relaxed and felt her body slowly soften. It was difficult because of the restrains that He put on her. They were put on when her skin was diamond sharp, and the restraints were pulled tight around it. She finally relaxed to a pain where there was little pain from the tight restraints. {Alright, now what should I do.} 

Rich appeared to do the same thing and finally he spoke aloud. "You should be able to talk aloud now, Yvette. Remember most of what I taught you mentally." 

Penance thought about what he said, she understood it better now. She then said slowly, "I-I-I th-th-think s-s-so." She was surprised and how quiet her voice was. She then looked at Rich as he smiled. 

"You have a lovely voice, Yvette. It matches your psionic voice and your beauty. We should find a better outfit for you though. Your current outfit just doesn't seem right." 

Penance could feel herself blushing, but she didn't know if Rich could tell. She wondered what he thought she looked best in and decided to ask. "R-r-rich, wh-wh-what d-d-do y-y-you th-think I-I w-would l-look g-good i-in?" 

He looked at her and she then noticed he was gazing into her eyes. "I think that you would look lovely in a blue dress, blue to match your eyes." She then smiled and kissed him. She was truly in love with him. After they finished kissing, Rich then said, "I think it might be best if you learn to talk better. I think it might be a surprise to everyone if they hear you speaking out loud." 

"I-I th-think y-you a-are r-right, R-Rich." She smiled and they sat down as Rich continued her lessons in English. She enjoyed how Rich pronounced his words, and she tried to copy that down to the way he even pronounced some of the simple words. After a couple of hours, Rich started to get up. "Is that going to be all for tonight?" 

"Yes. I going to start to get into a new daily routine. Exercise in the morning. I have to be in shape if I want to stay ahead of Emplate. And your English and speaking has improved remarkably from yesterday. I'll see you tomorrow." He left the biosphere and she decided to find a nice spot to curl up and sleep. She felt a lot more comfortable with Rich around. She felt as if she didn't have anything to fear at all. 


	11. Enter: Emplate

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 10 Enter: Emplate   
  


Penance looked around the Biosphere. She felt as if something was wrong. She moved slowly and cautiously around the biosphere. She heard and snap and she turned in the direction of the sound. She saw His sister collapse onto the ground, dead. She saw everyone else lying near her, dying. Her only concern was that Rich was not dead. She started looking for Rich when she heard Jubilee speak. She watched her friend take a final breath and say, "Emplate." He was here. He killed all of them. He must have gotten Rich. She started to run, in search of Rich, and then to escape. She ran through the Biosphere, avoiding every shadow and movement she saw. She moved so quickly and fast that she ran into and knocked over Rich. He was injured and almost collapsed to the ground. She caught him before he hit the ground. He appeared bruised and beaten. 

Rich spoke slowly to her, "Emplate captured all. I had someone else's ability. He killed everyone. Everett was the first to go. I don't know what he did, but somehow, he made Monet fell every blow. I escaped, but I couldn't fight. I was alone. I would latch onto to him." 

She held him and said, "I'll stay with you, Rich. You won't ever have to worry about him again. I won't let him hurt you again." 

She felt his hands go to her arms. "I'll never lose you again, Yvette." She felt a stabbing pain go through her arms. She knew what it was and when she looked at Rich again, he had transformed into Him. 

"No," she yelled as loud as she could. He must have gotten to Rich. As she struggled in his grip, she saw in His eyes a very scary sight. In His eyes, she saw Rich's soul trying to break out. She slowly felt closer to Rich as she felt her life draining from her. She cried over the thought of dying in that monster's grip. She had closed her eyes and opened them expecting to see the evil creature finishing her off. Instead, she saw the roof of the Biosphere. It was morning about a while after sunrise. 

Penance was concerned for Rich. She was afraid that He was here and that He would capture Rich. She decided to find Mr. Cassidy and find out where Rich was.

* * *

Emplate watched the grounds carefully. He stayed out of synch with reality, but not far enough to be pulled into the Beyond. He hated being in the beyond. He body tortured every moment by the cold hands of the dead. He felt the pull when he didn't have the energy to stay in the reality that all the other mutants lived in. The energy he got from feeding off the other mutants. When he lost Penance, he was pulled back to the Beyond on a regular basis. He was determined to get her back, as well as claiming the young morsels here as his next meal. He had a score to settle with Jubilation Lee. She had tricked him, and in so freed them all from his grasp the last time he was at the school. 

He heard a sound. He glanced in the direction of the Biosphere and saw Penance run out. He noticed something in her aura. It was concern, but for what. Did she sense his presence. The fact that she broke his will, his influence, hurt most than the lack of descent food. She had spent so much time as his victim that he was sure she knew that he was here. 

His thoughts were broken when he heard a voice. He glanced down the path and saw Paige Guthrie running up the path. She must have been out jogging. How easy it would be for him to ambush her as she passed, but now was not the time to strike. He was determined to find out about the mutant that dodged him at the airport. He heard her yell behind her, "You have to move faster than that." 

The young man ran into sight. It was the same one that was at the airport. He was dressed the same, and as before, no mutant aura. He wondered how the mutant could dodge his sight. The man yelled at Paige, "I'm moving as fast as I can. You must also remember my ability." He must have been a mutant, but were was the aura. 

Emplate continued to listen as Paige passed him. "I know, I know. But you can move faster than that. I know, think that Emplate is behind you." He hated hearing that. He thought about jumping out and attacking then. They must have told this new mutant about him. But how did they know he was a mutant. 

The young man started to pass him. He finally saw the answer. The aura around the young man sudden appeared, but how. He saw a name to the man, Richard Cale. The ability this mutant had was in some way like him. He then listened to Richard yelling to Paige. "That is not even funny. That was scary back at the airport. When I looked at my hand and......" He noticed that Rich did the same thing he had just said. Rich, all of a sudden, ran very fast. The mutant aura disappeared and briefly appeared as he passed Paige. 

He listened as she yelled, "What's the matter, Rich" and she took off after him, trying to catch up to him. He knew what happened. He slowly made his way back to the limo that he had. The Hellions had been assembled and it was soon time to attack. 

D.O.A. stepped from the car and said, "I take it we attack sir." 

If his minions could see his face, they would see the smile on his face. "Yes, D. Make sure the gear is ready. I can't chance another occurrence of what happened last time. The mutant is not one I would choose to sup on. I can change him into one like me." He started to laugh and he gathered the Hellions together to catch the students off guard.

* * *

Most of the students were in the kitchen when Sean entered. He noticed that the only ones that weren't there were Monet, Jubilee, Paige, Rich, and as usual, Penance. He noticed that most of them had gotten there own breakfast. Emma was looking out the window. She had a worried look on her face. Sean walked over to her and asked, "Something wrong, Emma." 

She turned from the window and said, "Something doesn't seem right this morning, Sean. I think there is something wrong. I just hope it has nothing to do with Rich's dream from two nights ago." 

He was about to comfort her when Jono spoke up. _"Well, there is a sight one never sees in here."_ He turned to see that Penance had just walked into the room. Jono was right on that it was a rare sight. Penance had rarely left the biosphere in the morning. 

Sean figured that Penance must have been hungry and went to fetch her an apple. He was take by surprise when he voice he did not recognize, but he came to the immediate conclusion. Penance had finally spoke. He looked at her as she repeated what she had said, "Where's Rich?" He noticed a worried look on her face. 

Angelo had dropped what he had been eating and said, "Even in the hood, I have never been that surprised. I can't believe that she finally spoke." Sean had to agree with him. It even appeared that her skin appeared softer. 

Sean decided to answer Penance's question. He didn't want her to get upset, and something was bothering her. "I haven't seen him, Penance. I don't know where he is. I think he must be on his way here. I'll go see if he's on his way." Penance still was worried and it was evident. He turned to go leave the door, when Rich came running in and knock Penance over. "Well, I guess we now know where Rich is." 

Sean then saw Paige walk in. "Something's wrong. Rich, all of a sudden, took off like a bat out of hell and ran for the building. He kept saying, 'You had to say that. You had to say that.' Ah think something is wrong, because Ah couldn't even keep up with him." 

Sean turned to Rich who had fully mimicked Penance's ability. He appeared to be in the a very tense form as he brushed against table, and sliced the leg into pieces. "What's wrong, lad?" 

Penance looked at Rich and calmly said, "Rich, what happened?" Sean watched as she gasped and said, "No, it can't be." He nodded and she started to do exactly the same Rich had done. 

Sean figured that the two had a psionic connection that no one else could communicate on. They most likely spoke in her native language, one he didn't even know from his years with Interpol. He decide to speak now, in hope that Penance would answer. "Penny, what is wrong? What has you and Rich spooked." Penance started to relax again. He turned to see that Monet and Jubilee had entered. 

Jubilee looked in Penance's direction and was surprised to see her standing there. "Hi, Penny. This is strange to see you here." Sean noticed that Penance had relaxed more when Jubilee spoke. 

Penance finally spoke, although it was not the answer to his question. She looked at Jubilee and said, "Hello, sister." He watched a look of shock cross Monet and Jubilee's faces. 

"Mon Dieu, Penance has finally spoke." The shock was still on Jubilee's face, but Monet recovered quickly. "She must see Jubilee as an adopted sister." 

Sean finally walked over to Jubilee and said, "Jubilee, I need ye to find out what has both Rich and Penny spooked. Yur appearance caused her to relax again. I need ye to find out what spooked the two of them." 

He watched Jubilee nod and then she walked over to Penance. She knelt down to her and said, "Penny, what's wrong? We'll protect you here. Your safe here with us. We can handle any problem." 

Penance spoke very softly and then tensed up again. He didn't know what she said but Jubilee also tensed up. Jubilee got up and started back over to Monet. Sean was worried. Now he had three students tensing up. "Jubilee, what did Penny say was wrong." 

Jubilee seemed to act as if she didn't hear him. She just walked over to Monet. She seemed a bit in shock. She then said something that nobody, not even who she said it to, wanted to hear. Sean and everyone else listened as she said to Monet, "Prepare for a family reunion." Sean realized that meant only one thing. He didn't need to hear that, especially with Rich's ability. That must have what freaked Rich out. The reason he ran so fast to get to the building, to get away from Emplate. The reason that he and Penance were tense. 

"Alright, everybody, we have a major problem. Emplate is somewhere on the campus. Monet, I want you to take Penance, Rich and the wee lads to the Biosphere. It might be the safest place since the last attack. Everyone else, we have to try and locate Emplate and force him to retreat." Deep down, Sean knew that Rich wasn't ready to fight Emplate. Rich wasn't even ready to fight a mutant. Rich seemed to have a fear of losing his personality, and if Emplate's took over, they would be in deep trouble.

* * *

Rich looked around as he heard Sean tell everybody what to do. He looked then at Yvette as she took his hand. {I think that we will defeat Him. They know about the attack now.} she said to calm him down. 

{Yvette, do you truly believe that? I been having too much good luck lately. I don't mean to doubt you, but it is one of those lessons I have learned about life. For all good luck, there is an equal amount of bad luck, the time it last varies.} He didn't want to doubt her. It gave him some hope, but not enough. 

He watched Yvette as she thought about it. She then looked at him and said {Rich, I'm scared.} 

{So am I, love. So am I.} He then notice Monet walk over with Artie, Leech and Franklin. He looked at her she crouched down to the level that Yvette and he was at. 

"Rich, Penance, we should get to the Biosphere. It will be safest for you there. Okay." He nodded and Yvette did the same. She understood what Monet said and with that Monet led them all to the Biosphere. 

Rich looked at Yvette as the slowly made there way to Biosphere. Rich said to Yvette, {Yvette, is Monet always this nice to you?} 

{I have never seen her much. I tend to avoid her most times, mainly because of Him. In truth, I always feared her because of her connection to Him. Once, when He last attacked, part of me, controlled by Him, wanted to kill her. The other half saw her as a kindred spirit. It was as if I could see my pain in her.} 

{Well, let's hope we don't run into Him. Do you think we'll be safe in the biosphere?} 

{Unless He is waiting for us there, we will be safe.} 

{I'm praying He isn't in there.} 

{So am I, Rich.} Rich then noticed that Yvette looked at him with a reassuring smile. He felt better. He was still the new guy around here and wasn't used to all the excitement, but it had to be better than having the possible mutant vampire attacking you at his own home. He noticed they were at the Biosphere and that Monet had opened doors. They all went inside and she led them carefully through the Biosphere. 

"I am going to get you all to the tree house. It will probably be the safe place for all of you. Then I shall make sure that Emplate can't get in here. Franklin, here is a communicator, call in case Emplate does make it through after I leave." She handed Franklin the communicator and then turned to lead them to the tree house. Rich, even in his sheltered life, had seen what was unfolding then. Right in front of all of them, Emplate appear right in front of them, giving Monet a right hook capable of knocking out Mike Tyson, George Forman, Mohammed Ali, Larry Holmes, or any great boxer. Monet fell to the ground, unconscious. 

Emplate turned his attention to him and Yvette. "Hello, Penance and Mr. Cale," he said through his respirator. Emplate started moving towards them. 

{Yvette, follow me.} He then looked at Franklin, quickly motioning his head to the left. He then rushed to the right. Yvette followed him. He looked back to see Franklin, Artie and Leech run off to the left. He also saw Emplate following them. He and Yvette were keeping a good lead on him. It was as if he was letting them take them escape. {Yvette, I have a bad feeling about this.} 

{Why, Rich?} 

{He's letting us escape. He can move faster than he is. He trapping us.} 

{He must have the others here. Be careful, it might be the misty one.} 

{One that can turn into a mist.} 

{Yes. Or the wrapped one.} 

{What can that one do?} 

{Teleport.} 

{Yvette, that's just as bad as turning into a mist. Could anything be worse?} 

{Yes.} 

He sighed. If anybody heard it, he didn't know. He then asked {Well, with my luck right now, what could it be, so I can try and prepare.} 

He noticed she was about to answer when a loud voice said, "Guten Taug." 

Rich said to Yvette, with worry in his voice, {What was that?} 

He noticed a quiver in her voice. {It was the strong one, in front of us.} 

He looked ahead to see a big man, obvious from the accent and language, German, step out and prepare to the two a clothesline. He was covered in straps, and it was an odds on bet that he wanted to harm them. At the speed they were moving, and the fact they were running side by side, he was going to knock them unconscious. Rich let instinct take over on his part as he jump right in front of Yvette. He hoped that this move would allow her to escape. He was not going to let Emplate hurt her, not while he was alive and breathing. Seconds later, everything for Rich went black.   
  
  
  
  
  



	12. Under The Influence

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 11 Under the Influence 

Penance was shocked when Rich jumped in front of her when the strong guy jump out in front of them. He was setting up to knock them out. Rich took the blunt of the attack. He must have hoped that she would be able to escape. She thought about it for a moment, but she couldn't leave him behind. It was even more difficult because the way he got knocked out, he fell right on top of her. She was knocked to the ground as he fell. Rich was unconscious. The way he fell on top of her, she had to roll him off. Just as she went to do that, a familiar voice from behind her said, "Now Penance, don't try to run." She glanced in the direction and saw Him. He reached down for her. She saw the mouth on His hand open wider, but as He grabbed her, she didn't feel the pain. He had grabbed her hair. She decided to fight back. She took a swing at Him. As her hand swung toward His face, she heard a metallic click. Her right hand was in a metallic glove. Just as she tried to do the same with her left, another glove was on that hand. 

Her only weapons left were her feet. She went to kick him with her left foot. The razor sharp toes would surely slice him. But as she started to kick, she heard one, then another click. She looked at her feet to see them in metallic boots. She tried to slice them, but she couldn't. He then said, "Now to do something so you don't try to stab me with your hair." He put a metallic helmet, covering her hair, on her head. Her most effective weapons had been stopped by mechanical devices. She then watched as the strong one pulled a large metal box over. There were holes in it. She realized that this was her prison. She tried to fight, but with all the metal shackles, it was impossible. He threw her in the box and the strong one closed it. She looked out the hole as He kneeled down and looked in. "Don't worry, Yvette. I won't hurt you, yet. I'm going to let the next one go first." She realized what He meant. He was going to use Rich's ability to turn Rich into a creature like Him. She was going to lose Rich. She started to cry silently. She felt the box lift up as He said to the strong one. "Bulwark, take Yvette and Mr. Cale to the place where I have my sister restrained. Place him in the other chair. The others will be brought here soon." 

"Ya, Heir Emplate," said the strong man. The strong man's name must be Bulwark. His name must be Emplate. At least that was their codename. She started to cry. She was scared, but did Emplate realized the truth of Rich's ability. Did he know it was distance activated. 

She heard Emplate speak again. "Bulwark, make sure he is not next to Monet or Yvette. His ability is distance activated and I want to be the one his ability latches onto me when Yvette's wears out." She sunk deeper into despair. Emplate did know about his ability. Now, he was going to kill all of them, except for Rich. Emplate had a worse fate in store for Rich.

* * *

"Ok, listen up, you three. Stay in hiding, we'll be over there in moment. I doubt Emplate can handle all of us at once." Jubilee had heard the communicator signal. She figured Emplate got into the Biosphere, but she didn't know what had happened, but when Sean had heard, he was upset. 

"What happened, Banshee?" It was only at these moments, when an attack happened, did they used codenames. In its own way, it seemed informal. 

"Everybody, things just got worse." The way he said it made every look at him with worry. She was worried, too, if what she thought had happened was right. "That was Franklin. Emplate was waiting in the Biosphere. He knocked out Monet, and had Bulwark help him capture Penance and Rich. We have to be careful getting over there, because Murmur, Vincente and D.O.A. might be waiting to ambush us." 

She looked at Synch with concern. She remember what Emplate did to him last time. "We better be careful. If Emplate get hold of you again, I ...." 

Synch put a finger to her lips. She had seen it done in some films. He was trying to calm her down. "I know. But, I don't think he'll try that again. If Emplate is planning something, he is planning to limit my power." 

"I don't know if that's worse or better." Her statement was cut short when a flash appeared. 

"Look out." Banshee yelled just as Murmur appeared and gave Synch a flying kick. She jumped out of the way and only got the wind knocked out of her. Synch was knocked unconscious. As she started to recover, Banshee let out with one of his sonic screams. Murmur teleported out the way just as quickly as he appeared. Paige ran over to her side and started to pick her up. 

"Come on, Jubilee. We got to get out of here." She looked at Skin said, "Skin, get Synch." 

"Okay, chica." He started extending his finger and pulled Synch over to him. He took a whiff of the air and said, "Is it just me or is the air getting thick in hear." Jubilee realized what was happening. It was Vincente. He was going to try and knock them all out. 

_"We better get out of here, now!"_ It was the first and last thing he said as he got knocked out by D.O.A. who jumped him from behind. That was the last thing at least she saw as Vincente knocked them all out. In her mind, she thought that Emplate had caught them too easily.

* * *

Rich woke to a sound that gave him hope. It was Yvette's psionic voice. {Rich, please be awake!} It worried him about the urgency in her voice made him worry. 

He answered as calmly as he could. {Yvette, where are you?} 

{Open your left eye a little, love. I hope you can figure something out, and quick.} He didn't like the sound of that. He did as she said. He was careful not to open his eye fully. He noticed a silverish box about six feet from him. From one of the holes he saw the bluish eyes that belong to Yvette. 

He was worried now. She hadn't escaped, and he saw that he was securely fastened down in a chair. He tried to move his left arm just a little bit, hopefully not enough to be noticed. He couldn't move his arm. He had been fastened down and positive he couldn't move. He then said to Yvette, {How did he catch you?} 

{Remember when you tried to save me from getting knocked out by Bulwark?} 

{Yes.} 

{The way he hit you, it knocked your unconscious body onto me, knocking me down.} 

{I take it you didn't have the time to get me out of the way and escape.} 

{Yes. Then Emplate put mechanical gloves, boots and a helmet on me. I can't even cut through them. I watched as he put you in that chair. Monet is in a chair about six feet to your right. He place a collar on her, and one on every body else when he hung them in the trees. I think he has something in store for the glowing man. He put some sort of device on him.} 

{Maybe he wants to force my ability on to Everett. I think last time, Everett was sent away, enthralled by Emplate, from what I was told. Everett's ability by cause him accept Emplate's personality and abilities.} He saw little man walk into his view. He could see the letters "D.O.A." on his hat. 

"Master, I think Mr. Cale is awake." The man left his view and Rich started to worry. Emplate must have been waiting for him to awaken. He close his eyes and started to pray. He prayed that all this was a nightmare, that he would awaken in his own bed, back home. 

His prayer was cut short when his head was knocked into the back of the seat. He heard a woman scream, and a raspy laugh. Then came a voice he heard before. He opened his eyes and saw Emplate standing right in front of him. "Welcome back to reality, Richard. If you're wondering, I see everything about you, including your love for Penance." Emplate walked over to his sister. He watched Emplate look at her and say, "I take it you felt that, little sister. See that collar on everybody's neck. It was built to transfer all their pains to you, so you could suffer at my hands as well. 

She looked and snapped, "You have gotten worse, brother. You have become demented with that hunger." 

He backhanded her and said, "At least you cannot stop me. These chairs were constructed to hold you and Penance, little sister. When I discovered Mr. Cale, I changed my mind." Rich watched as Emplate walked back over to him. "You know, Mr. Cale, when you passed me at the airport, I didn't notice you, not until you called to Banshee. I can't believe that your power could detect me. Anymore, you won't be a threat to me, as you could be. I know what you fear, and I will make that fear come true." 

Rich physically shuddered at that. He did not want that. Slowly relaxed his body to the point he could speak. It was hard to do because of the situation. He finally spoke to the demon that held him prisoner. "And what do you in store for Yvette?" 

He watched as Emplate focused his yellowish eyes on him. "I want that to be a surprise, Richard." He was worried, and he noticed when he tensed up, he was not a rigid as he was before. He was losing Yvette's ability. Straight across from him, he saw Jubilee. She was the only one who was not upside. It was as if Emplate seemed to have something special in store for her. He gave her a look that begged for help. 

Jubilee seemed to understand. She yelled, "Hey, ugly. What are you planning to do to me?" 

He turned his attention to Jubilee. "Oh, I plan to take care of you, Ms. Lee. I plan to make you pay for the humiliation you put me through. I plan to sup on you until your life is almost gone. Then, I will have Everett finish you off." Rich could see Jubilee shudder from there. "Judging by the time Ms. Lee, I think I will have some help in that." Emplate turned and walked toward him. He knew that Penance's ability had left him, and Emplate was walking closer. 

He heard Everett yell. "I don't think so. I not hurting anybody for you, Emplate." 

Emplate turned his attention to Everett. Rich prayed that this would last a while until he could think of a way out. Emplate spoke to Everett, "See that device that I put on you. It hinders your ability just like the Psionic Dampener hinders Jonothon's. If you try to focus on anyone but Rich when I want you to, it will give you a very painful shock. And, Monet will get that same shock." Rich noticed that a look of defeat crossed Everett's face. Everett didn't want to hurt anybody. Rich finally thought that no matter what, Monet was going to be hurt, but maybe he could find a way to protect him and save everyone else. It all depended if he could tip the chair in Monet's direction. 

He started to rock to the chair. He had to work fast and link into Monet's abilities before Emplate realized what was happening. He was sure it would have worked. Only if it weren't for D. O. A. Just as he had the chair beginning to tip, D.O.A. said, "Master, I think Mr. Cale is trying to avoid what you have in store for him." 

Rich tried to tip the chair as quick as he could until Emplate approached. "I don't think your plan will work, Richard, but I don't think you'll argue anymore." Rich felt the pain that he knew was the struggle in him. He knew how it appeared on the outside. He physically was transforming into Emplate. His could feel the struggle for breath, but that was the last thing on his mind. 

In his mind, he was fighting Emplate. Emplate's personality appeared as Emplate did, not as the images that were in Yvette's mind. Rich was fighting Emplate for full control. Emplate was more powerful and Rich could force Emplate back. He still had a hope in the back of his mind. He could win, but not alone. He needed help. As he was fighting, he heard a voice [Richard, let me help you.] It was Emma Frost's voice. She was entering his mind to help him win. He felt her strengthen his personality, to fight off Emplate and keep in control. Just as he almost had the upper hand, he felt Emma's help disappear very suddenly. She must have gotten caught. He then lost to the power of Emplate, but he still existed as Emplate imprisoned him in his mind. It was as if Emplate couldn't destroy him. This gave him hope for escaping, but how. He could only watch as the Emplate personality took control of his body.   
  
  
  
  
  



	13. Triumph

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 12 Triumph 

Emplate was almost shocked at how Richard collapsed. It was as if he was in a seizure of sorts, but then he noticed the change in Richard's skin and hands that made him realize that Richard had grabbed his personality. Emplate looked at his servant and said with a sort of happiness, "D. bring the spare respirator. Mr. Cale will need it." Emplate laughed as he watched Richard transform into another Emplate. He then noticed that the struggle had calmed down and it appeared that Richard was regaining control. He looked around an saw Emma Frost's eyes were glowing. He yelled to all of his Hellions, "Stop her. She is ruining everything." As he spoke the command, Murmur gave her a swift kick in the midsection, causing her to lose her concentration. He took pleasure in the scream of pain that came from his sister's lips. He looked at her and said, "This is for everything, little sister." 

Emplate noticed that Richard Cale had completely transformed. With Monet partially out of it, he deactivated the chairs and pulled Richard out of the chair and reactivated the chairs. Richard looked at him and said, "Master Emplate, how may I serve you." Emplate was pleased at hearing this. He was in control and part of Richard's personality made him realize that he need to stay near him. 

Emplate decided to test his new servant and said, "Do you hunger, my servant?" He watched in pleasure as Richard nodded. It was somewhat reluctant, but that would be overtaken. He had managed to overcome the reluctance, but survival meant everything. He looked in Jubilee's direction. That girl had caused a great deal of problems his last time here. "As a beginning, I want you to sup just a little bit on Ms. Lee." He watched as Richard started to advance towards Jubilee. 

She started to panic. He took pleasure in the fact that she was scared. Her bravado last time had tricked him. He watched as Jubilee started to plea with Richard. He listened as she said, "Rich, stop. You don't want to hurt me. You are one of the few people who tolerate me. You are my friend." 

Emplate laughed as Jubilee's eyes went wide as Richard grabbed her arms and said, "The law of life states 'Survival is everything.' There is only one other law that supercedes it." Emplate could tell that Richard started to sup on Jubilee as both she and his sister screamed from the same agony. Emplate let Richard sup for a few moments and then decided that Richard had supped enough on Jubilee. Besides, he had to save some of her genetic marrow for himself, and eventually Everett. 

"Richard, I think you should test that ability on Ms. Lee." Richard then stepped back and shot sparks at Jubilee. He delighted in her pain as each sparked burned her. He also delighted in Monet's screams as similar burns were showing up on her. He stopped Richard and then decided it was time for the ultimate test.

* * *

Yvette had watched everything from the box she was locked in. The screams echoed through the box as Rich had injured two of her classmates. She knew that he couldn't help it, that his own mind was entrapped by Emplate's, except that it took less effort for Emplate to control him. She had been in that state before, and she broke free. She had watched as Emplate had stopped Rich from using Jubilee's ability on her. She then heard Emplate say, "Richard, it is time for the ultimate test. Do you think you can pass it?" 

She shuddered as she heard a raspy voice come from Rich. "Yes, Master." There was some reluctance in his voice and some sorrow over what he had done to Jubilee. Yvette had an idea of what was coming. Emplate was going to make Rich feed on her. She watched as the two approached the box. She knew it was coming, but she was not going to break as easily as she did last time. It would be hard to fight Rich, but she had to try. 

She then saw daylight as Emplate opened the box. She saw Rich look into the box with Emplate. Finally Emplate said, "Sup on her. Enthrall her and make her you eternal feast." She looked at Rich with loving eyes, mentally begging that he wouldn't sup on her. She was not the only one surprise at what happened next.

* * *

Rich could not believe all the pain he put both Jubilee and Monet through. He was still trying to fight Emplate, but he was weakening. He knew that Emplate was leading him to the box Yvette was in. He had a feeling what was coming, but couldn't fight it. He was too weak. As Emplate opened the box and then gave the order, he was about ready to do it. His heart stopped him, but Emplate persuasion was growing strong. He didn't want to hurt his love, but he didn't have the strength. 

"Let me help you." Rich then noticed a man of African descent coming to help him. 

"Who are you?" 

"My name is Marius. I was the first victim of Emplate, but I still reside in him. My guess is than you brought me into your mind when your abilities allowed you to mimic him. Maybe together we can break his control over you." Rich allowed the man to help him. He felt the man's strength merge with his own and for the time being he regained control of his body. 

He looked down at Yvette and said, "It is said that survival is a powerful emotion, but there is one more powerful." He then backhanded Emplate, sending the monster flying into some of his Hellions. He picked up the device that Emplate had dropped, as well as Yvette and said, "That's love." He ran of into the Biosphere. 

As he continued into the Biosphere, he mentally heard the voice of Marius. "Good job. I believe you'll get through this. I need you to tell my family not to give up hope." Rich wondered what that meant as the man left him. He ran until he could stop. 

He put Yvette down and said, "Are you okay, love?" He hoped that she would still respond to him, although he now looked like her worse nightmare. 

Her deep blue eyes looked straight at him as she said, "Now that you are coming back. Can you do something about these metal things, I can't help if I'm defenseless."

* * *

Emplate was furious. Not only had Richard regain control of his body and mind, but he took the unit that controlled everything keeping Generation X at bay. From what Emplate had seen, Richard's mind worked quickly. He hoped to find him before Richard could free everybody. He knew that he had to search for Richard and Yvette. That was the only way to regain control of that mutant. He was just about to do so when he heard a click. He didn't like the sound of that. He looked over each of the captured lot. He had turned his attention quickly when he heard Jubilee saw, "I guess it going to be a repeat of last time." He glanced at the chair Monet had been placed to see that his sister was free. He noticed that all of the students were wearing the collars still. Richard hadn't found that control. He must be trying to free Yvette. He would catch his sister, Richard and Yvette. The collar was the key. 

He turned his attention to Jubilee and said, "Don't worry, Ms. Lee. I don't let the same thing happen twice." He turned to Vincente and said, "I think Ms. Lee is having trouble breathing. Help her out." Vincente nodded and turned into a purple mist. The mist entered Jubilee's mouth and she started to cough and gag. Emplate looked in the sky to see a form fall to the ground, not to far away from where he was standing. He decided to head that way. If she was that close, it meant that she found Richard and Yvette.

* * *

Monet had realized that she could leave the chair when she heard the click. She flew off in search of Rich. It was obvious he was in control of himself, and he had the master control for the collars that transmitted all the pain to her. As long as she had the collar on, her brother could catch her at any time. She saw Penance and Rich down below. She started fly towards them when she couldn't breathe. Vincente must be chocking someone. She fell to the ground with almost a heavy thud. She was a bit sore, but not as sore as the choking made her. She then heard Rich's voice call to her. "Monet, how did you get free." She saw him and Penance run over to her. He was carrying metal gloves, boots and a helmet. It must have been the restraint that Emplate had put on her. 

"The chair I was in was deactivated. You must have deactivated it with the master control. We need to get this collar of me, and everyone else." 

From what she saw in Rich's eyes, he was thinking. She then listened as he said, "I think I have a way we can make Emplate's ingenuity work against him. Monet can you figure out how to get the collar on you off?" He handed her the control with the question. 

She looked at it and realized how simple it was for her to do that. "Yes. But why just me?" The thought had confused her. 

"Do it quickly. I believe that Emplate might be approaching soon." She did as he said and removed the collar around her neck. He then said to both of them, "Yvette, take the collar and hide in the bushes over there. When Emplate gets close, put the collar around his leg. Monet, your nightmare just may help us. I going to have to act it out for a moment until he gets to close. Remember what you told me earlier." She then realized what he was going to do. He was going to use her immunity and Emplate inability to sup on her against him. 

"I get it. When he sees you supping on me and not in pain, he will approach for a ring side seat. Penance puts the collar around his leg, and when he gets to close, his flaws will appear in you. You know, although, that you will be knocked out, or in a coma." 

"I'm aware of that. When the collar kicks in, Emplate get the same pain. You have the master control and Generation X will be able to fight him off, for if any of us gets hurt, he gets hurt." He turned to Penance and said, "Yvette, I will probably need medical attention once I'm free. I'll need you to rush me to medical center, so you will have to soften your body so you can carry me." 

"I understand, Rich," Penance replied with concern in her voice. Monet could only feel that Penance was getting the hardest job of all. Trying to help a loved one, and not being able to do much. 

"Monet, tell her what to do before she leaves to take me there. Then use the device to allow Jono and Synch to use their abilities." She nodded and heard Emplate coming towards them.

* * *

Rich heard the sound of Emplate approaching. He knew that they had one shot. He said, "Get ready." He watched as Penance hid and then grabbed Monet at the arms. He looked at her and said, "I hope you are a good actress, because I hate what I'm about to do, but it is the only way out." 

He noticed as she braced herself and finally said, "I'm ready." He grabbed her by the arms and started to sup on her. It was disgusting, but it was the only way for escape. She then screamed, meaning that Emplate was approaching. "Stop, you're killing me." 

He listened and heard the quiet click of the collar. Yvette had gotten it on Emplate. He then said, "The master has always wanted you dead. I shall now sup on you until you die." He hoped he was convincing. 

He headed the voice of Emplate say, "Well, Richard, it appears that you have returned to my control, but I better make sure that you don't escape again. Besides, I want a good view of my sister's death." He felt Emplate approach as Emplate personality returned to him. All of a sudden, a psionic explosion knocked Rich right off his feet. He was almost unconscious when he saw Emplate flying as well. 

"I got you, Emplate. And now we are going to win." He said as he heard Emplate screaming in pain. He was blacking out when he heard Monet yell something to Yvette. In his lack in mind, he would have thought that an angel was carrying him to Heaven. Finally, he was unconscious.

* * *

Yvette let a smile cross her face as she saw Emplate go flying in pain. Rich's plan was working. She let her body relax as she ran over to Rich. Rich's eyes were closed and she felt better knowing that Emplate influence was soon gone. She was about to pick him up when Monet called her. 

"Penance, take Rich to the med unit and stabilize him. Just do this." Monet told her what to do and she understood. She was not going to lose Rich now. He meant to much to her to allow him to die. She picked Rich up and then ran off for the building where the Medical Center was. As she ran, she heard two explosions echo in the Biosphere. She had an idea of what was happening. 

Yvette ran into the Med center and placed Rich on the one bed that she had been placed many times. When Emplate still had partial control of her, the battles usually put her in a coma. She always awoke here, on that bed. She set up everything as Monet said, remembering every detail. She then pulled a chair over and kept watch over the one person she truly loved. "I'm going to stay by your side, Rich, so Emplate doesn't get another chance to control you." She then waited for the fighting to stop.

* * *

Jono had realized that something had changed. He seemed to be able to use his ability again. He then noticed that most of Emplate's Hellions where in pain as well. Emplate must have gotten injured in someway that was affecting his minions. He noticed that Monet had gotten free, and Rich seemed to break free of Emplate's grip, carrying Penance with him. He then noticed that Everett's aura was glowing. Monet and Rich must have schemed a way to get them all free. He decided to take charge of the situation. He glanced up at Everett and said, _"Are you getting in synch with my ability?"_

Everett spoke quietly as he responded. "Yeah. Do you think we can break all the bonds with the combined power?" 

_"Exactly what I was thinking. You first, then I will follow up with a second blast."_ He noticed Everett nodded and a psionic blast shook the area He followed it up with one of his own. In a matter of seconds, everyone in Generation X was standing and Emplate's Hellions were on the ground. He noticed that Monet had flown in, and that all the collars were still on everyone, except for Monet. He looked at her and asked, _"What happened?"_

She looked back quickly and then said, "Rich developed a plan to stop Emplate. I'm leaving all the collars on right now because Emplate has the one I wore on." 

Jono would have smiled, if he still had a mouth. Rich had managed to break free of Emplate, and then use his ability against Emplate somehow. He didn't want to ask how, but now he was concerned. He noticed that Everett ran over to Jubilee, trying to comfort her. She was wounded from what had happened to her. He wanted to check on Paige, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was almost a second later that Emplate appeared out of the forest. 

"I am not going to lose this time. Monet, I shall be sure that everyone suffers, and you will die first." He started to advance in the direction of Monet. Jono need to recharge his abilities, but decided to try and knock Emplate down. Emplate backhanded him, and just as Jono fell, Emplate also fell. Jono could tell that Emplate was stunned. 

Sean soon spoke up. "Jono, are ye alright?" No sooner had the Irishman asked the question when Bulwark punched him in the stomach. Emplate had just gotten up when he collapsed to the ground, out of breath. Jono wondered if Emplate had figured it out yet. Bulwark was about to hit Sean again when a pyrotechnic attack knock the German twit off his feet. He saw Everett had gotten in sync with Jubilee's ability. 

Some of Emplate's Hellions realized what had happened, as Jono noticed that they started to escape. Vincente flew off, and Murmur teleported away. D.O.A had run out of the Biosphere. Bulwark slowly got up and prepared to attack him. Jono was ready to release a psionic blast when Emplate finally spoke, "I guess I will have to retreat. Bulwark, leave." The German left the area and Emplate continued, "You have won again, because I made one mistake. I won't let it happen again." As Emplate spoke, he fade from sight. 

Jono wonder in Emplate was planning something, _"Do you think he's gone?"_

Monet finally spoke up, "I don't think he will be returning. I think we should get Jubilee to the med unit." He had to agree. While Rich had been controlled by Emplate, he really injured her. He, Everett and Sean helped get her over to the med unit.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	14. Skitz

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Changes 

Chapter 13 Skitz 

Sean thought it was best to have some of the students search and find the kids, as well as double check for Emplate's Hellions, just in case. With Jono and Everett, who was worried to death, they took Jubilee to the med center. Monet came with them, mainly because she wanted to see that Penance did everything correctly. When they arrived at the med center, Sean was surprise, not to see Rich still looking a bit like Emplate, but to see Penance looking more like a woman than she ever had. Rich must have had a remarkable affect on her, to make her talk and to cause her to relax. He walked over to her, carefully, and said, "Is he alright?" 

Penance turned to face them, her long red hair flowing in the movement, and said, "I think he's going to be alright. I want to stay here with him, if that's alright, sir." Sean saw the worry in her blue eyes, the worry for someone you love. 

"I think that would be alright, but I think you might need to make some changes." 

"I know. I was wondering if there might be a way to get these restraints off me." 

"I'll have Monet and Emma help you with that, lass." 

He noticed that Penance then turned her eyes to Jubilee. "Is sister Jubilee going to be Okay? I know that Rich didn't want to hurt her, but he..." 

Everett spoke up. "I understand, Penance. I was in the same situation as Rich was. I think that Jubilee will understand that." Sean noticed Everett stopped when he noticed Rich's body started to convulse as if Rich was having seizure. 

Sean saw the problem immediately. "Monet, help me get that respirator off him. It suffocating him." In his mind, Sean saw a vision of Blink. He remembered how she had sacrificed her life, and how he was to late to save her. He was not going to let that happen to him. Rich had risked his life to saved all of them, and now Sean was not going to lose this student. Monet and he managed to get the respirator off Rich, and he listened for Rich's breath. He was relieved when he heard Rich breathing. "He's still with us." He heard Penance sigh in relief. Apparently, she was concerned about him. 

Emma walked in with a gentleman. Sean wondered who this man was, until Emma said, "Sean, this is Richard's father. He has brought some off Richard's possessions. He was wondering where Rich was." 

The man looked at Rich and asked, "What happened that my son is unconscious?" 

"Well, Mr. Cale,.." 

"Richard. My name is Richard Cale Sr." 

"Rich never said he was Jr." 

"My son is a little ashamed of some of the family. For most of his life, he had no regrets. Then his life came tumbling down when we had to tell him that my brother died. He started trying to live life according to every known belief and theory there was." 

"I take it he developed a belief in luck as well." 

"Yes, he believe that he always had good luck and bad luck. I think he believes that his worse luck started by my brother. I never felt like telling Rich the truth about his uncle, so I told him that he committed suicide." 

"Rich's uncle didn't die at his own hand. It must have been gruesome to tell him that." 

"No, my brother joined an anti-mutant force. It was just the day after my son's abilities manifested. My son always saw my brother as a second father. I guess it was our way of protecting Rich from the truth. I hope Rich will be safe here. If his life has taken a turn for the better. I see no problem with him staying here." 

Sean decided to tell Rich's father about everything. "I can say this, Mr. Cale, Rich has had a very interesting first 3 days here. Unfortunately, today we had a mutant named Emplate attack us. He tried to use your son's ability to turn your son into a creature like him. It was your son's quick thinking that saved us." 

"My son's mind was always quick. I'm still not sure how he found out about this place. But if my wife heard that, she would worry to death, and my son would not want that." 

"Well, your son has done a remarkable feat." He beckoned Penance to come over. "Penance, this is Rich's father." 

She nodded and said, "Hello, sir." 

Sean continued with his account of Rich's days here. "Rich was able to communicate with Penance. Due to that, he taught Penance to speak to us. Also, Penance and your son has fallen in love." 

Rich's father looked at Penance and said, "I think my son will be fine here. I will need help getting everything in." 

Sean turned to students in the room and said, "Help get Rich's stuff in. I don't think Rich will be in any shape to help with that. And Everett, we will take care of Jubilee." The kids left with Mr. Cale and Sean turned to Emma. "Emma, when Mr. Cale leaves, I want you and Monet to help Penance get those restraints off. I think she wants to look like a woman for when Rich awakes." 

"I think I can help with that. I sure we can find some clothing to fit her." She turned to Penance as he placed Jubilee on the second table. As he set up the equipment to monitor and take care of her, Emma asked Penance, "Is there any color you would prefer?" 

Penance smiled and said, "Rich said blue would look good on me, to match my eyes." Sean had to smile when he heard her say that. The two were in love and Penance appeared to be the best reason that Rich was staying. Monet returned a short while later and she and Emma took Penance to take care of her. 

* * *

Rich awoke in the med center. His mind was a mess. He remembered going unconscious. He guessed that everything worked out. He wondered if he was alone in the med unit. He moved to set up and found something right by his side. He looked to his right and found a stuffed bear. He was never fond of stuffed bears. "What the..?" he asked aloud. 

A familiar voiced answered his question. "I thought you might need it more than I did." Rich turned to his left and saw Jubilee sitting in the next bed. 

He thought back to what Emplate had made him do. "Oh God, I'm sorry Jubilee. I didn't mean to hurt you." He started to cry over it. 

"It's alright. I've had worse done to me. Sabertooth has almost killed me once. And I also don't blame you. Emplate was controlling you. You had no choice in what you did. Everett was in the same situation. I don't blame you. When Penny bought my bear, I told her to give it to you. I thought you might have needed it more than I did." 

Rich calmed down as he heard Yvette's nickname. "Where is Yvette?" He started to panic, wondering if she was Okay. 

"I think she said something about getting ready for when you awoke. I was partially with it when we saw her sitting by your side. You've had quite an effect on her. Also, I think she convinced your father that you were alright here." 

Rich's eyes went wide. "I forgot my father was dropping off my stuff. He likes to know if my life has gotten better, since my uncle committed suicide. He and my mother are always afraid if I have made a mistake. I guess he heard that Yvette and I were in love." 

Jubilee smiled and said, "I was half with it, but he seemed to agree that this was best for you. Sean told him how you were the only one able to talk to Penny. He did sound a little upset when he heard about Emplate." 

Rich looked around and said, "And the building is in one piece. He's the one I got my temper from." Rich saw the look on Jubilee's face. She was shocked. He remembered telling her about his temper, and it was apparent that she didn't believe what he just said. "I take it my father was very calm." 

He was startled by the fact Emma Frost answered him. "Your father was extremely calm. I think everyone will be glad to see that the two of you are feeling better. Penance has been waiting for you to wake up since the attack yesterday." 

He had been out for a day. The psionic blast must have taken a toll on him. "Is Yvette here?" 

"I thought you might ask that. She is waiting to come in. I send her in and go get the others." Emma Frost went to leave the room. 

Rich had to say this before he forgot to say it. "Emma, thank you for the help when I needed it." 

Emma turned, smiled and said, "I only wish that you had control before attacking Jubilee." 

"The feeling is mutual, Emma. I regretted being forced to watch as Emplate made me hurt her." Emma left the med unit, and just a moment later, Yvette walked in. He smiled when he saw how she looked. She was wearing blue dress that accented her beauty. Her red hair was combed back, over her shoulders. "You look lovely, Yvette." 

She rushed over and hugged him. "I glad to see you feeling better." He had a brief headache when she did so. Since she was more relaxed now, her approach didn't cause an attack. "I'm so happy that you are staying here." 

He had to agree with her. They both knew how each felt. "I glad that I am staying, too. Yvette, I hope nothing ever separates us." He went to give her a kiss, and then saw Jubilee watching. He looked at Jubilee and said, "This is a private moment here." Jubilee easily got the picture and turned away form them. He then went to kiss Yvette. 

As the two were kissing, Rich heard Sean say, "Well, I see you two are happy to see each other." Rich and Yvette were startled by his voice and stopped kissing. 

"I guess that sort of thing happens when people care about each other. I apologize for not informing you about my father bringing my stuff up." 

"It's alright, lad. Don't worry yurself about that. Everyone right now would like to know what yur codename will be." 

Rich had to think about that for a moment. "Is there a mutant named Mimic?" 

"Yes, lad. He is not someone ye want to meet." 

Rich thought some more on the name and finally said, "Skitz. I'll make that my nickname." 

Paige said, "Is that short for Schizophrenia?" She knew what he was saying, and Rich nodded. 

Angelo said, "That's multiple personalities, isn't it." 

Before Rich could answer, Monet said, "No, Schizophrenia is something completely different." Rich smiled as Monet noticed the misconception associated with Schizophrenia. 

"Rich, Monet, and it fits me due to the fact that it doesn't describe my ability in the lease." Yvette had started to giggle, as well as Jubilee. Soon, the laughter was going over everybody. 

Sean finally settled everyone and said, "Since we got that settled, Rich, I think you can spend the rest of the day resting. Tomorrow, you begin classes here." 

"Okay, teach." Everyone left and Rich called to Monet. "Monet, can I ask you to check on something for me." As Monet walked over, he turned to Yvette and said, "I need to talk to Monet about something, about Emplate." Yvette nodded and left. Jubilee had left with others, as she appeared to not be held back by anything. 

"Something bothering you, Rich." 

"Monet, when I had your brother's abilities, there was, as best as I can describe, the remnants of a victim in his mind. They helped me at that critical moment I broke free. They told me to tell there family there was still hope. His name was Marius. Did you know some by that name, a possible friend of your brothers." 

Monet sat down in shock. "Rich, Marius is my brother's first name. There must still be a part of him fighting for control. We might be able to save my brother from being Emplate forever." 

Rich looked at her and said, "I see. Well, now you have the message. Monet, I won't tell anyone about his name, if that's what you wish." Rich watched as he nodded slowly and left the med unit. Rich was still exhausted and fell asleep until nightfall. He left the med lab and headed towards his room. He figured that he would see Yvette in classes tomorrow. His life had taken a turn for the best since he came to the school. As he walked to the guy's dorm, he saw the bearded man who told him to come here. 

The man looked at him and smiled a bit. Rich heard the man speak in his mind before, but now the man was silent. Rich asked the man, "Did you want me to come here, to help Yvette?" 

The man uttered a word vocally. Rich finally understood what the man had done. The man had said, "Contact." Rich had made the first contact with Yvette that got a vocal response. He was sent here, by this man, to help them communicate with Yvette. From these events, life was getting more interesting, and would continue to do so. 

The End??? 


	15. Tragedy

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Truth Be Told 

Tragedy 

Yvette stood at the door to Rich's dorm room. She could hardly believe that he had grown so cold in such short a time. He was depressed, and the events that lead to them were extremely traumatic. They knew that Rich was having problems when she and Monet followed him the one day. Emma Frost, the headmistress of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, asked them to watch him. As they quietly followed that day a week ago, she had realized what he going to do. She saw the lighthouse in the distance, the place where Emplate lived. When she explained the situation to Monet, Monet grabbed her, then Rich, and flew them back to the school. 

Yvette continued to watch Rich, as he sat on his bed, holding a picture she had seen many times before. Every once in a while, he broke into tears. When she tried to approach him, he gave her a glance that told her not to even come close to him. It was odd, because she and him had been inseparable after his recovery from Emplate's attack on the school. She was so deep in worry for Rich when she heard a voice behind her softly say, "Has there been any change, Yvette?" She turned to see Emma Frost standing behind her and watching Rich. 

"No, Emma. I can't even begin to approach him. I've never seen him like this before." 

"None of us has, Yvette." Emma Frost had started calling her by her first name since Rich recovered. "You must remember what Rich has been through. Part of him still feels remorse for the events. He feels responsible for the deaths that happened here." 

Yvette understood that much. She still couldn't understand why Rich would want to turn himself over to Emplate. "That doesn't give him the excuse to turn himself over to Emplate. He knows how much I care for him. He knows I would not let him do that." 

A calm voice startled both her and Emma. "That was why he tried to sneak away, Penny." It was Monet. Monet still called her Penny, a nickname that was given to her by her friend and "sister", Jubilee. Monet continued, "He didn't know we were following him, but with how his mind works, I think he was hoping we would. I think that something he said came up and hit him in the face." 

Yvette heard both herself and Emma ask in unison, "What?" 

"The truth can surface in ugly ways. What caused this was the ugliest truth in the Cale family." 

Emma interjected, "That and he feels guilty over the death of Sean's cousin." Yvette remembered that. She still remembered what had happened. Yvette had remembered that, but she didn't know much about Sean's cousin. 

"Emma, what happened between Sean and his cousin?" Yvette didn't truly understand it all, but she wanted to find out. 

"There is a fierce hatred between Sean and his cousin, Tom. It is the same that is between Monet and Emplate." Yvette shuddered to think that someone else could be as evil as Emplate. She still had nightmares about her imprisonment. "Tom is the black sheep of the Cassidy Clan, but Tom became an international terrorist. From what Sean told us when we returned from Monet's place, Tom had done some experiments and learned to control plants. His next step was to probably capture all of you using the fake Mondo he created." 

Yvette was just about to ask more when Jubilee ran over, "Emma, Jean and Scott are here." Emma and Sean decided to see if they could get Rich to talk about what had happened. The two together figured that maybe Jean Summers could get Rich to talk about what had happened. 

Yvette's more important concern was about Rich. She knew that Rich knew that she was there. She was afraid that he would try something rash if nobody was watching. "Should I keep an eye on Rich, Emma?" 

Everett Thomas came walking over. He then said, "I'll keep an eye on Rich for a while. Besides, if he sneaks out, I can track him." She felt a little relieved when she heard that. After Everett took the post of watching Rich, Jubilee led them over to the main building to meet with Scott and Jean Summers.

* * *

Sean felt a bit of relief when Scott and Jean arrived. He hoped that they could help Rich break the emotional wall that forced everyone to avoid him, including Yvette. No matter what happened until that day over a week ago, Yvette was always welcome, mainly because the two were in love. Sean could swear that he was seeing another Scott and Jean in Rich and Yvette. 

Jean finally spoke up, "What seems to be the problem?" Jean, who Xavier had taught before his rage turned him into Onslaught, never used her powers of telepathy unless as a last-resort. Emma could take a lesson from that. 

Sean waited until everyone, except for Everett and Rich entered the room. He had sent Everett to keep an eye on Rich so that Yvette could be here. He motioned for everyone to sit down and finally said, "Tis about the new student." 

Scott immediately said, "Was that the one you contacted us about a month ago, to find out in he had contacted us." 

"Aye. As of recently, he has closed himself off from everyone, even Yvette." A slight look of confusion crossed their faces and Sean motioned Yvette to stand. As she stood, Sean noticed that she was wearing the same dress that she wore when Rich had recovered after the attack by Emplate. Recently, she started putting her hair in a ponytail. He then said to Scott and Jean, "You might remember her being called Penance." 

Jean looked a bit surprised. "What happened to cause this change?" 

"Rich, the new student. His mutant ability allowed him to communicate with her. Over the past month, she has learned to control her ability, as well as speak with everyone. The two had been virtually inseparable, until recently." 

"What happened?" Scott asked. 

"Well, during Christmas, we found we had some unexpected company. Black Tom was on the school grounds. The only students on campus at the time were Yvette, Jono, Angelo, Mondo, and Rich. It was Rich who discovered Tom's presence." 

Scott, looking a bit confused, asked, "How did he manage that?" 

"Rich's mutant ability is to basically change into the mutant he is closest to. Some aspects of his ability allow the lad to use those abilities against that mutant." 

Jubilee spoke up and said, "I can testify to that." Sean remembered what Jubilee had gone through the day Emplate had attacked. Rich, for a brief time, had been controlled by Emplate, and during that time, Emplate had somehow made Rich attack her. 

Sean continued, "There are some benefits to his ability. The communication with Penance, the lad can detect Emplate. Of course, with his ability, we run the risk of him becoming a second Emplate." 

Jean appeared to come to the conclusion that was what happened. "I take it that Rich stumble onto Tom's presence." 

"That he did, and that was around when everything went crazy. I think that it might be best if we all told you what happened." Sean began by tell them about how the events began. 


	16. Sean's Story

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Truth Be Told 

Sean's Story 

Sean had been talking to Mondo for a while. The lad was more interested in find out how some of the things work on campus, when before he just accepted that they worked. Mondo had become interested in learning how the security system worked. Not to stop an inquisitive student, he was about to tell Mondo about it when he was called. "Sean, can I speak with you for a moment." He recognized Rich's voice and turned to see the newest student of the school looking at him. His voice said there was no urgency in the matter, but Sean recognized a look of worry in Rich's eyes. 

There must be something bothering the lad, and it must have happened recently. He turned to Mondo and said, "I'll be a moment, lad." Mondo had nodded and Sean walked over to the door where Rich was. Rich went in the door and Sean followed and said, "What's the..." His voice trailed off as he saw about ten feet from him, and eight feet from Rich was Mondo. It was the same lad he just left behind in the other room. What was going on? Sean lowered his voice and asked, "Rich, what is going on? You ask to talk to me, and when I come in the room, I see a second Mondo. Did ye find an imposter?" 

Rich kept a calm look on his face and said, "No, sir. I found the real one. The imposter is in there." 

Sean glanced out at the Mondo sitting in the room, waiting patiently for him. "That one is an imposter? How can ye tell, Rich?" 

"Sean, I was on a walk on the grounds, when I sensed a mutant presence. I sense a mixture of things. I saw plans to capture everyone, a fake Mondo was just the first step in its plan. I sensed botanical control in the mutant. This is what confused me, although. The mutant is similar to you." 

"What? Do you mean it has a sonic scream?" 

"No sir. I mean it is like you as in, it is a Cassidy." 

It hit Sean like a ton of bricks. He realized what was happening. He had to get all the students together, that were here. He then realized the first thing that they had to do was get rid of the fake Mondo. "Rich, is there anything that we might be able to do to stop the fake Mondo?" 

He noticed that Rich looked in the room. "If it is botanical, it should catch fire easily." The way Rich had said it seemed so simple. Rich then looked back at him and said, "Sean, if we want the real Mondo to survive, we are probably going to have to get him over to the med unit." There was a look of worry in Rich's eyes. Rich, as far as Rich knew, lost a family member in his youth. He thought of Gen X as a new family. Sean nodded and Rich used a sonic scream to fly Mondo to the Med unit. He looked out on the fake Mondo and then saw the answer to their problem come walking into the room. Jono. 

* * *

Jean stopped Sean by saying, "So Rich discovered that Tom had made a copy of Mondo. How could that be traumatic." Jono knew what had happened, as well as Sean, Yvette, and Angelo. Jono still got chills when he thought about it. 

_"We could only wish it was that simple. I wish it could be like my problem."_ Sean nodded when Jono made the statement. Jono continued by saying, _"We all found out that Rich has a unique temper. He holds his stress until it explodes in a fit of rage. Rich told us this the fifth day he was here."_

Jono saw Scott's face turn to that of shock. "Even worse than Logan's" When Sean nodded, Scott said, "Well, what led to the breakdown?" Jono decided to take the story from that point.   
  
  
  



	17. Jono's Story

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Truth Be Told 

Jono's Story 

When he walked into the room, Jono saw Mondo sitting in a chair. He noticed that Sean had re-entered the room and said, "Jono, I have a message for ye." Sean walked over to him and said softly, "Jono, Rich has informed me of a problem. The Mondo over there is a fake." 

Jono realized that with the tone that Sean was serious. _"How did Rich know?"_

"Rich had the good or bad luck to discover my cousin is here. He replaced Mondo with a plantlike copy." 

Jono realized what was being said. _"I take it that I have the ability to remove the phony?"_

"That's the way Rich figured it." Jono nodded and looked at the fake Mondo. It was hard to believe that it was a fake. Then how long was this fake around. Inside, Jono didn't want to hurt his friend, but this wasn't his friend. He stilled blamed himself for what happened to Gayle, how he cost her the use of her legs, and the hatred in her that made her join Emplate. He vowed not to let his ability hurt anyone who was a friend. Now he was asked to use his ability in that way. 

Jono, still having second doubts about what he must do, was startled by what started to happen. Rich, Yvette and Angelo were walking into the room, Rich with his back to the door. Rich had obviously thought the deed was done for he said, "And the Mondo that I found was the real one." 

Yvette had looked at Rich and said, "And that's fake." Rich spun quickly and ducked the fist that came at him. A second later, Mondo hand formed into tendrils and quickly ensnared Rich. Jono knew now that this was a fake and let lose with a blast of energy. Almost instantly, Yvette cut Rich free and pulled him to safety as the fake Mondo went up in flames. 

As the fake disappeared in a puff of ash, Jono turned to Rich and said, _"I'm sorry about that. I still had doubts of my own."_ Rich had some insight into what happened to Gayle, but he hoped that Rich understood why he had waited to be sure. 

Rich, still struggling for his breath, said, "I understand. I just hope not to get another near death encounter like that again. That makes three." 

* * *

Yvette listened as Jean spoke again to stop what Jono was saying. "Do you believe that might have been part of his breakdown?" Yvette stared at both Jono and the red haired woman. This woman had been brought here to help find out why Rich had retreated into isolation. This woman, as Ms. Frost had said, was a telepath. Yvette knew that this woman had better training in her power that Ms. Frost had. 

Just as soon as Jono was about say something, Sean said, "That had been the first time that any of us knew about that, and those of us who weren't here at the school at the time just learned about it now." Yvette noticed the look of shock on Emma's face. 

Yvette had to speak up, because she knew something they didn't. "That is not true. Rich told me before any of this had happened about what had happened." She noticed the look of shock on Sean's face. 

"Yvette, lass, ye mean to tell me that ye knew about that?" 

"Rich told me many things about his life. The facing death deal he learned to deal with, even though it was at different times in his life." She hoped that would help clear things up. 

Scott, the man who wore the red sunglasses asked, "Then could you help us clear this up?" He seemed very adamant about finding the answer. 

"I think that part of it has to deal with facing death, but not in the sense you mean." With that, she continued the recount of the events that had passed.   



	18. Yvette's Story

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Truth Be Told 

Yvette's Story 

Yvette helped Rich off the floor. She was a little upset with Jono for not doing what he had been told earlier. She still had some of her survival instincts in her about a threat. Act first. Question Later. She was about to say something to Jono when Rich said psionically {Now love, you must remember that he injured someone, and he didn't want to hurt another friend.} 

Yvette remembered that Rich had used his mutant ability to mimic her. {But he let the fake Mondo almost kill you. I don't see how you can easily forgive that.} 

{Simple. I had my own doubts as well. I started thinking, what if the one I told Sean about, was the real one? At least when that Mondo attacked me, I knew it was fake. There were no doubts.} He said all that in a calm voice that he used most of the time. She had never seen Rich upset, and Rich had told her that he had a nasty temper. 

Sean, followed by Angelo and Jono, walked over and asked, "Rich, lad, are ye alright?" as he extended a hand to help Rich up. Over the time she had been at the school, Yvette had learned to trust Sean Cassidy enough to know that he cared for everyone. Regardless of her first day at the school, she realized that this man meant her no harm. 

Rich took Sean's extended hand and she and Sean help Rich to his feet. "As best as can be expected from an experience similar to getting a hug from a boa?" Yvette wondered what Rich had meant by that statement. She went to ask him as he said, "It is a snake known for crushing its victims, Yvette." She understood what he meant then. 

She then heard Angelo say, "So, we have an unconscious Mondo in the med unit, and a madman on the grounds?" She wondered what Angelo had meant by that. This was the first she had heard about this relative of Sean's. 

Sean said to Angelo, "That is a nice way of terming it." He then motioned everyone to gather around and said, "We have a major problem, and we got to stop it before everyone returns. Skitz, do ye remember when you had spotted me cousin?" Rich nodded and Sean continued, "Good, Chamber, I want you to start charging up for another blast. Skin, be ready to pull any of us out of harms way. Skitz, I hope you have mimicked Penance, because you might be the only weapons we have until Chamber is ready." This was big trouble, since Sean only used codenames when there was trouble. 

Rich had tense to a point that he could still speak. "I'm ready, Banshee." Rich then turned to face her and said, "Are you ready, Penny?" 

She did the same and said, "Let's save our school." She felt better about what they were getting into when Rich smiled. They all headed out of the building they were in, as Rich lead them to a small wooded area a short ways from the school. They had obviously passed the range of the alarms, because the alarms had never detected Sean's cousin. 

When Rich stopped, she watched and listened as Sean yelled, "All right Tom, We know ye are here, so ye might as well show yurself." She watched and was ready to strike at anything. She noticed that Rich had moved over to her side. Angelo and Jono had stayed back just as Sean had instructed. 

She then heard Rich speak to her, {I hope it doesn't come down to fighting.} She saw the worry in his eyes. Something was truly worrying him, something that he couldn't hide. 

{What's wrong?} 

{Remember what I said about my temper?} 

A terrible realization hit her mind. {Don't lose control of your temper now? I don't know the extreme of my ability. I'd hate to find about it if you did something rash.} 

Rich slowly said, trying to keep the calmness in his voice, {I'll try. For your sake, Yvette, I'll try.} 

The two of them jumped to face movement Yvette seen appear in front of Sean. Then, an eerie voice said, "Well now cousin, I was hoping to meet later. How did ye discover I was here. Did my fake Mondo do something unexpected?" A chill ran up her spine. The man had looked partially like a plant. 

Sean faced his cousin and said, "Why are ye here? What are ye planning to do here, Tom?" There was a look of anger on Sean's face. 

The man that was Sean's cousin, Tom, said in a calm voice, "Ye are being replaced as teacher of this school. I'm taking over as of right now. Sooner that I had planned, but I can adapt." Yvette then notice two large tree roots come out of the ground. One wrapped itself around Sean and flung him to the ground near Jono and Angelo. The other came to hit her and Rich. As she jumped to the left, and Rich jumped right, the man said, "This is one ability you aren't immune to. I ambushed Mondo easily enough. I think that one of these two mutants alerted ye to my presence, cousin. I shall rectify that problem." 

The one root came down at Rich, but he jumped out of the way again. Yvette realized she should have watched for her safety as the other root came straight at her and sent her flying. She saw that she was going to collide with a tree and she didn't have anyway to stop it. She then saw one of Angelo's fingers appear. He was going to pull her out of the way. She softened her body and allowed him to pull her away from a painful collision. The hit from the root was painful enough. As she was pulled from safety, she heard, in her mind, a scream of rage. She realized what it was, but before she could say anything, it was too late to stop it. 

* * *

Angelo, who was no stranger to painful memories, noticed that Yvette was having trouble continuing the account of what happened. In fact, he figured it would happen. He said, "Do you want me to continue for you?" He probably could tell this part better, after seeing something similar to it in the hood. 

She looked at him and said, "Please." She walked over to a corner and had almost started to cry. He could only imagine the fear she felt. He watched as Jubilee went over to comfort her. Jubilee always comforted Yvette during those times Rich wasn't around, and even after his unique attempt to take his life. 

Jean looked at him and said, "So what happened?" Angelo decided to tell them exactly what he saw. 

"Well, I can put it this way. You don't have to worry about Black Tom Cassidy anymore, chica." 

A look of shock passed both Jean's and Scott's faces. Scott managed to say, "You mean he...?" Angelo decided then was the time to tell them what had happened after he caught Yvette. 


	19. Angelo's Story

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Truth Be Told 

Angelo's Story 

Angelo had just pulled Yvette to were he and Jono were standing, when he noticed that Rich had disappeared. He thought that Rich had been knocked out when all of a sudden as the tendrils were waving about, one fell to pieces. He heard Black Tom exclaim, "What in Sam Hein?" The other root fell to pieces, and then Angelo saw the movement of a black shadow in the darkness. It must have been Rich. He had made his skin so sharp that the light seemed to be reflected into him. 

Sean had started to come to from what had happened. "What's going on? Where's Skitz." 

Angelo was about to answer when Yvette finally said, "His temper. He must lost control when I was hit." She was rubbing her side, where the tendril had hit her. 

Angelo then continued, "And I don't think he plans on letting your cousin succeed, judging by how then tendrils are being taken out." All of a sudden, it appeared that Black Tom had made himself fluorescent, and that a shadow appeared to be standing a few feet from him. That had to be Rich. 

He saw the shadow had shielded it's eyes, which appeared as a glowing bluish-brown. Black Tom reached for Rich and said, "So, there is the problem. I shall take care of you." A glow was forming from Black Tom's hand and Rich had finally adjusted to the light. 

Sean yelled to Rich, "Watch out, lad." Angelo watched as Rich waved his hand and scream of agony filled the air. The living shadow that Rich was could now be seen easier, due to the red outlined hand. He also saw Black Tom holding his arm in agony. 

Angelo could only watch, as did the rest of them, at the sight they were witnessing. He had seen many scenes like this before, but this was totally unlike Rich to do that. He heard Yvette said, "My God." 

Angelo saw Black Tom was about to try and strike Rich, when Rich swung his left hand, then his right, following with backwards somersault. _"Bloody hell!"_ Jono exclaimed as the nearly shredded form of Black Tom fell to his knees. 

Rich had just landed and lunged forward with a head butt. Angelo only winced, as everyone else averted their eyes. Finally, there was two thuds as Angelo watched the two parts of Black Tom's body hit the ground. Just as quickly as the pieces hit the ground, Rich's claws went through them so quick that the pieces dissolved. The shadow that was Rich had finally stopped moving, covered almost head to toe in the blood of Black Tom Cassidy. They all watched as Rich returned to his normal look, as Yvette's ability had finally left him. 

Angelo and everyone approached him slowly. Rich looked around, as if he was in a daze. Angelo knew the look on Rich's face. It was the face of a person whose loyalty was so strong to something that one would kill for it. He saw that look many times in L.A. He was about to say something when Rich's face changed and went from no remorse into a fit of sadness. They all heard in Rich's sobs, "What have I done?" Rich collapsed to the ground right near what was left of Tom Cassidy's face. 

Sean looked at Rich and said, "You might have done the world a favor, and saved all of our lives." 

Rich looked about and said, "But, I-I-I killed him. I didn't have to kill him, but I did. I didn't want to kill him, but I did." 

Angelo looked at Rich and thought he understood why Rich acted the way he did. "He threatened your life. You fought in self-defense." 

"No, I fought in rage. I lost control of my temper, and that man suffered for it. I didn't want to kill him." Rich almost broke into a fit again when Yvette walked over to him. 

"You were worried about me. You were protecting me. When you thought that he injured me, you reacted just as I would have if he hurt you." She helped Rich up and he seemed to lean on her support. Angelo could tell that Rich was shaken up. 

For the first time since they were all outside, Jono finally spoke up. _"I think you might want to get cleaned off. I don't think you want to be covered in Tom's blood for too long."_ Rich nodded and Yvette helped him to the dorms. Angelo always wondered how bad Rich's temper was, and now he had seen it. 

As they headed back to main building, Sean asked him, "Angelo, you've seen that back in L.A., does the pain ever go away?" Angelo didn't know how to answer that. He had never taken anyone's life. He shrugged and continued back to the dorms. 

* * *

Jubilee was still comforting Penny when Angelo finished telling everyone what had happened. To hear about it once was bad enough, but to her about Rich's temper and rage taking control a second time made it more unpleasant. She wondered what would have happened if Rich had her abilities and personality at the time. He probably would have leveled the school in one pyrotechnic blast. She snapped out of that thought when Jean said, "If the act was in self-defense, it shouldn't plague him so." 

Emma said to Jean, "Rich is a very emotional person, and the last thing he wants to do is harm, let alone kill. He was very upset when Emplate forced him to attack Jubilee." Jubilee remembered that day. She had been the med center for about a day. She was the first one who saw Rich awaken from the coma he had been in, when he used Emplate's own devices and weaknesses against him. She saw the look of regret in his eyes when he remembered what he had done. 

Scott just said, "It can be very painful to do something that you don't want to do. Even more painful if you can't control what your doing." 

Emma then continued, "But he recovered from that, and during the days after the attack and when we returned from Monet's home, he was recovering mentally. He did his best to cope with the killing." 

She noticed Sean sighing as he said, "He went to same spot every day and put a flower there, as if he was trying to make peace with me cousin." Jubilee had wondered what that was about on the day of the attack, and now she knew. 

"But something happened before he had fully recovered, correct?" Jean said as if knowing. Jubilee remembered what happened during the second attack. She felt it was time to speak up. 

"From what we all discovered, Rich's family had a skeleton in their closet that they were hiding from him. I found out about it when Rich confronted it," Jubilee stated. She still remembered that day. 

"Aye," Sean said, "the scary thing is that we all knew about it, because Rich's father informed us about it." Jubilee was amazed, but then the day Rich's father was here, she was half with it. 

"Was this the relative that he thought was dead?" Scott asked. 

"Yes, and I remember the look on Rich's face that day." Jubilee finally said as she started telling everyone of the second attack, and how Rich's breakdown had started.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	20. Jubilee's Story

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Truth Be Told 

Jubilee's Story 

Jubilee walked with Rich and Penny as they headed to the place where the confrontation with Black Tom happened just a couple of days earlier. She, as well as Paige and Emma, had gone with Monet to her family's house for Christmas. It was during that time that Black Tom was discovered at the school. It was that time that Rich killed Black Tom. With what Black Tom had become, it was probably for the best, but Rich was still getting over it. It wasn't until Rich came to a stop that she said, "Is this where it happened?" 

Rich removed his glasses and wiped some tears from his eyes. She already knew the answer, but he answered "Yes." He placed a flower on the ground and stayed there, kneeling. 

Penny, or as almost everyone called her 'Yvette', walked over and said, "He has done this everyday since the attack. I think he is recovering from the attack. I don't understand why he does this ritual." 

"Maybe he's just trying to ease his conscience. I think I know how something like that could feel." The truth was she didn't. She had been faced with the choice to kill someone before, but she didn't because she didn't want to be haunted by the ghosts. She noticed that Rich finally stood up. 

Penny looked at him and said, "Do you need some time alone?" Jubilee could tell that Penny really cared for Rich. She worried for days about Rich as he slowly became more stable. Penny was the first one to tell her what had happened. Jubilee was glad that she had not witnessed it. 

"No, Yvette, I don't need anytime alone. I think I need to find a way to relax. Care to go for a walk with me?" Jubilee could tell that Rich was hoping for the answer to be yes. 

Penny looked into his eyes and said, "I'd love to." Both smiled as Jubilee watch them walk off. Jubilee was not going to intrude on those two. Actually, nobody ever seemed to worry about them, mainly because Rich was a gentleman. 

Jubilee started looking at the site. It was eerie to think that Black Tom Cassidy had managed to replace Mondo, and even planned on taking control of the school. Jubilee then saw what was left of Black Tom's face. She could have sworn that it was still alive, just waiting for her to get too close, and then she would be a prisoner. She wondered why Rich kept that at the site. She said to herself, aloud, "Maybe it's there as a reminder. That's it, a reminder." 

She heard movement in the forest. It could have been Rich and Penny coming back from their walk. She then noticed the sound came from the opposite direction that they had gone in. She decided to investigate it. Sean had always told them to contact him if something strange was happening, but when did she ever follow the rules. She walked over to the area she heard the sound in and looked around. Nothing. She started to think that she was spooked by the site when someone grabbed her from behind. "Strange. I did my best to hide, and still you found me, Ms. Lee," said a strange voice. 

She screamed in reaction. She didn't have a chance to fire her sparks at her attacker, due to how quickly he caught her. She was turned to face the man. He had short white hair and his eyes appeared to have a glow in them. How did this man know her name, but she decided to voice the more important question. "Who are you?" 

The man looked at her with his cold eyes and held her with a superhuman grip. He said, "You may call me.." 

"Bastion." She was taken back by what was just said, as was the man, for the one who said the name was Rich. He appeared to have tears in his eyes, as if he was seeing a ghost. It was just then everyone else had arrived. 

* * *

"Bastion, head of Zero Tolerance, had attacked the school," Scott shouted. Emma understood his reaction. Two of the X-Men had manage to infiltrate Bastion's Organization. She only found out recently how dangerous this group was. 

Jean then said, "Scott, I don't know, but I think that events here lead to the stop of Zero Tolerance." This was news to Emma, to hear that the group had been stopped. She knew that Bastion was no longer a problem, but that Zero Tolerance was gone. Jean then said, "But, how did Rich know who Bastion was?" 

Sean then said, "Remember how I had said that Rich believed he lost a member of his family." It was then Emma realized and understood everything that Rich had said at that confrontation. She had figured out the biggest secret in Rich's family, and finally saw how much protection that Rich's family tried to give him from the truth. 

"You mean to say that Rich is related to Bastion. That's impossible. Zero Tolerance was shown to be an advanced form of Sentinels." Scott said. 

Emma finally said, "With human minds. Apparently Bastion joined the project and became what he was." 

Jean looked at her and in a questioning tone, said, "Was?" 

"Bastion, previously before joining Zero Tolerance, was named Bastion Cale. This was Rich's uncle. Since Rich's ability manifested, Rich was told his uncle committed suicide. Until that day that Bastion attacked, Rich believed it." She then told them what had happened that day. 


	21. Emma's Story

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Truth Be Told 

Emma's Story 

Emma and the others arrived on the scene to see that the man holding Jubilee and Rich were motionless, as if the two had been frozen in time. Emma said to Sean, "What is happening?" 

Sean was watching and said, "I dinnae. Rich said he heard Jubilee scream, and he and Yvette were going to check it out. He called us to head out and when we all get here, Rich and that man seem to appear as if they are frozen in time." 

Finally the man spoke, "Richard, what are you doing here? Did these mutants kidnap you?" The man must have know Rich, but how did he know Rich. Emma tried to telepathically tell him to release Jubilee only to see a bigger problem. 

She turned to Sean and said, "He's a Sentinel. He must be a new form of Sentinel. But I don't know how he knows Rich." She saw a look in Sean's eyes as if he knew the answer. 

Just as Sean was about to say something, Rich finally spoke to man, "How can you say that. You always told me all people were created equal and should be treated that way. I came here by choice, but why are you here? I thought you were dead." 

"Mutants are not people, Richard, they are freaks of nature that should be eliminated." Emma saw Jubilee tremble in fear. Rich still had his calm demeanor on, although it was becoming evident that he was struggling. The man continued, "Apparently your parents were trying to protect you from the harsh truth of the world with lies. The world needs to be cleansed of mutants. Now you can't be here by choice, Richard, because you are not a mutant." 

Emma could tell Rich was almost upset at this. Rich approached the man and said, "I am a mutant, Bastion. It was a few days after my ability appeared that I was told you killed yourself, and now I find that was I lie to protect me from the worse thing of all. You always told me to treat people as equals, regardless of what they were. Now I find out that you are the biggest hypocrite in the world. I now wish you were dead. The man I saw as a second father, would rather see me dead. If you are going to do anything to them, you will have to kill me first." With that, Rich closed his eyes and stood at attention. 

Nobody moved, in fear that one wrong move would cost Rich's, or Jubilee's life. Emma was frightened, because Rich appeared to know Bastion on a first name basis, and Sean knew the connection. Emma tried again to scan Bastion's mind. This time, she saw what appeared to be a conflict. She finally detected a human part to Bastion. The human half seemed to be fighting against the Sentinel part. Eventually, the human part of Bastion said to her mind, as if it knew she was there, [Ms. Frost, I don't want to kill my nephew. I never knew he was a mutant. I always told him to treat people with kindness. I always told him to strive for a better world, and now, the computerized part of me says I must kill him, for he is a plague to mankind.] 

She mentally spoke back to Bastion. [He came here to do just that. All of these children came to do exactly that. To learn to use their abilities to help humanity.] She had hoped that those words might prevent a catastrophe. 

Mentally again, the human Bastion said, [I'm sorry, for what I have done. Please make my apologies to my nephew, I just hope he will listen. Tell Ms. Lee to move away.] Emma was confused by the nephew statement, but she didn't have time to think about it. Upon hearing that, she opened her eyes and saw Bastion release Jubilee. He made a couple of motions, pressing what appeared to be buttons. Emma realized what Bastion was doing. The Sentinel, formerly a human being, was going to take his own life. 

"Jubilee, get away fast. Nobody move." She yelled to everyone, just as Monet started to fly towards Rich. Emma quickly went into Monet's mind and said, [Child, get back or else you will get injured.] 

Monet answered back in an upset psionic tone, [But, Rich..] 

[Rich will be fine. He will not get injured.] Just then, an explosion happened right where Bastion was standing. There was a red spray that lashed out everywhere, and the metal that was in him had atomized. Emma noticed that Rich had finally moved. She watched as Rich opened his eyes and looked around. He saw the blood and noticed that Bastion had died. Instead of getting upset, Rich's face became stone cold. He appeared as if nothing in the world would phase him. It was then Emma realized how bad he had been affected by Bastion's death. 

* * *

Monet watched as Jean Summers gasped and said, "That must have been terrible for him, to watch a family member kill themselves." 

Emma said, "That was what lead to the breakdown, but we didn't know how sever it was until recently. We figured that we needed to keep an eye on Rich. He was upset, but he didn't want to show it, mainly because of what he had found out that day." 

"I understand, but how serious had it become?" 

Monet answered Jean's question, for she felt she had to tell all this. "Rich tried to take his own life." 

Scott Summers asked the question, "How did he try and do this?" 

"I don't think he truly wanted to go through with taking his life. He said that drugs would kill him, due to the medication he takes, but if he wanted to face death, he wanted it to be on his terms." She then told them of that terrible day that Rich tried to take his life. 


	22. Monet's Story

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Truth Be Told 

Monet's Story 

Monet didn't know what to say. When Penny had asked for her help in keeping an eye on Rich, it hit her as a shock. Penny always wanted to spend time alone with Rich, but since everything that had happened, with Sean's cousin, and with Bastion, Rich just avoided everyone. Emma want people to watch Rich, just in case he tried something foolish, like taking his own life. Penny was almost always watching Rich, but today Penny seemed more worried than usual. They had seen Rich leave the guys dorm and start walking into the woods when they started to follow, far enough not to be detected, yet close enough to watch him. Penny broke the silence by saying, "Monet, I've been worried about Rich lately. He has been keeping his distance from me. After what happened with Sean's cousin, I was the only person he wanted to be near, and now." 

Monet could see the worry in Penny's eyes. Rich meant a lot to her, and Rich was the one that got her to talk to them. Now Rich seemed to be isolating himself from everyone. "We are all worried about Rich, but he is doing his best to isolate himself. That is why Emma wants us to keep an eye on him at all times, to keep him from doing something foolish. I don't think that he is going to try something here, but we will watch him just in case." 

Penny seemed relieved to hear that. After a while, Monet noticed that Rich had been walking in the same direction and that the school was no longer in sight. She wondered if Rich had gotten lost. If he had, then they would help him back, and all attempts at keeping an eye on Rich would be ruined. She saw a building in the distance, a lighthouse. She thought that Rich was going to ask about where he was there. It was then that Monet notice that Penny was tensing up as her skin tensed up. Monet turned to Penny and said, "What's wrong?" 

There was a worry in Penny's eyes as she spoke, "Rich is going to kill himself. He's.. He's.." 

"He's going to what, Penny?" 

"He's going to hand himself over to Emplate." Monet was shocked to hear this. Rich must have found out where Emplate's lair was from either Penny, or from Emplate when he attacked. Penny then said, "That's Emplate's lair. We have to stop Rich." Monet didn't need to hear any more. She flew up into the air and grabbed Penny in her left hand. She flew up behind Rich and grabbed him with her right and flew them back to the school. 

As she flew, Rich yelled, "Why didn't just let me go. Nothing but disaster follows me. I can't have a nice life. If I try, something happens to ruin it. Why didn't you let me end it all then?" Rich went silent then. Penny looked hurt, and Monet was puzzled. Sean and Emma had met up with them when she landed. She told Sean what had happened, as Emma took Rich back to his dorm room. 

Sean had a solemn look on his face. "Aye, this is serious. I'm going to give Scott and Jean a call and see if they can sort this out. In the meantime, I want all the students to take turns watching Rich in case he tries something like that again." He went to his office and Monet relayed the message. When she got done, she went to Rich's dorm room as Emma stood there. 

"Rich has not had the best days of his life lately," Emma had said as she started to leave. 

"I wish we knew was truly bothering him." Monet started to think about it and stopped herself. She didn't need to go into an autistic spell now, not when it came down to a case of Rich's life. Every moment he wasn't watched was a moment that he could do something rash. 

* * *

Monet started to think again on what had Rich upset. After hearing everything, she realized that the death of Black Tom had little to do with it. She started considering the facts in her mind, doing her best to stay aware of what was happening. 

Jean said to Sean, "Is that everything that has happened?" Monet could tell that she wanted to be sure that nothing was left out. She wanted all the information. She wanted all the truthful information. 

"Aye. We've had a close watch on him everyday. But we don't know how long he is going to continue being like this. We can't talk to him, because we don't truly know the problem." Monet watched the calmness of how Sean answered the question. Some of the worlds repeated themselves in her mind. Truly know the problem, that was part of the answer, but how did it fit in. 

Jean finally said, "I hope he can recover. I still wonder how Professor Xavier is dealing with what he had done." Monet noticed a look of anguish on her face, as well as everyone else's. It finally hit her. What had been bothering Rich, what had drove him into the state he was in. 

"That's it," she yelled. "That's the problem." Everyone was looking at her, and she then said calmly, "I have figured out what is wrong with Rich." 

Sean glance at her and said, "What is it, lass?" 

"Betrayal. When he found out about Bastion, he felt betrayed. And then when Bastion killed himself, Rich didn't want to care about what Bastion did to save him." 

Scott looked as if he was in shock. "You mean he destroyed himself, and all of Zero Tolerance, to possibly renew his nephew's belief." Monet noticed that the words had hit everyone. 

Emma Frost looked at them in shock. "You mean that Bastion destroyed all of Zero Tolerance to save his nephew's faith. If Rich knew that, he might just snap out of it." Monet understood that much, but she figured that the best people to talk to Rich would be those who had suffered in the same way. 

"Emma, I think it would be best if Penny, Jean, Scott and myself went to see Rich. We all know what betrayal is like." Emma nodded, as did everyone else. With that, Monet went with the others off to Rich's dorm room. 


	23. Recovery

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Truth Be Told 

Recovery 

Everett had kept an eye on Rich since everyone left. He understood to a point what Rich was going through, but still didn't understand why Rich had cheered up. He had to admit that after being controlled by Emplate, that he didn't want company. It was a terrible struggle for him to keep control, and still he couldn't keep control. Emplate had manipulated him like a puppet. Those few times he broke free, he tried to stop Emplate by sacrificing his own life. When Monet helped him break free, he was totally depressed, much like how Rich was. It was that Jubilee that helped him cope with it. 

The time had passed when everyone left. He kept a careful eye on Rich, knowing that if Rich did something rash, Penny might blame him. Everyone had been told about what Rich did to Black Tom while upset and having Penny's abilities. After a while, he heard music playing in Rich's room. Rich's taste in music was varied from New Age to Oldies. It was hard to tell what mood he was in when he put on music, because the music rarely reflected his mood. Everett was trying to figure out if the music reflected Rich's mood, when he heard a voice behind him ask, "How is Rich?" He spun around and saw Penny standing there with Monet, Scott and Jean. 

He told her the truth. "I don't know if it a good sign or a bad sign. He put on some music, and I have never heard it before." He watched as Penny walked to the door and listened to the music. He felt relieved when she smiled. 

"It's a soundtrack. I think it is from a movie he showed me once. It is probably a good sign." She then faced him and said, "Monet thinks she has figured out what is wrong with Rich." 

Now that was a good sign, because maybe they could snap him out of it. "So what is the problem, Monet?" 

"Rich feels like he was betrayed by Bastion. Bastion was Rich's uncle who Rich thought was dead." Everett remembered hearing that when Rich's father had stopped by to drop off his stuff. He was about to ask about why only those for were there when he noticed something. The music was gone. 

He looked in the door, and didn't see Rich. He used his aura to get in synch with Rich. He was still in the room, but he could figure out where. Penny rushed in the room, shouting his name. He had stayed focused on Rich's ability, when all of a sudden, he heard Penny shouting something he couldn't understand. It was in his mind. He yelled to Penny, "You must be near him, because my aura has somehow picked up your psionic call." He then saw Monet levitate just a bit a point Rich out.

* * *

Rich heard everyone outside the door. He didn't want company. He didn't even feel alone with everyone constantly keeping an eye on him. He just wanted to escape, his entire problem, all of his life. He put the music on to see if he could do that, but when he heard everybody at the door, he put his earphones on and sat on the floor, out of sight of the door. He listened to the song that was play. 

"Don't tell me truth hurts," the song sang as Rich thought, I know it hurts. He never had a problem with what was true before, but that was all lies. As he listened, he thought to himself that he would love to be someplace where nothing ever hurt again, as the song said it. His thoughts were interrupted by Yvette yelling his name, vocally psionically. It was then he realized that she was close enough that he latched onto her abilities. 

In a few seconds, he saw Monet hovering in the room and looking straight him. The music in his earphone was soft enough for him to hear her say to Yvette, "He's over her, Penny." The last thing he wanted was company. After all that happened, he still wanted to end it all. No one left him alone, no one gave him peace, and no one could understand what he was dealing with. 

Yvette, the one girl who ever had feelings for him, looked at him and said, "Rich, there are people here who can help you." She motioned to a red-haired woman and a man with red sunglasses. 

He didn't care. They couldn't understand what he was dealing with. {I don't want any company. The only help I need is in leaving the life.} He didn't want to say that to Yvette, but nothing was going right. He didn't even know what was true anymore. He turned and reached for his CD Player. 

Yvette looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Rich, we know what is bothering you." How could they know what was bothering him. No one could understand what was plaguing him. His hand was almost to the volume control of the CD Player when he felt someone holding his hand in a restraining grip. 

Rich turned to face Monet. Apparently, she was part of this group that thought they figured out what was bothering him. He knew that she could understand how Yvette and he spoke psionic, so he vocally said, "Let go." 

Monet responded to what he said totally differently that what he expected. "The only way your going to do anything to prevent us from helping you, is to kill us." He didn't want to do that. He already taken one life, and he didn't want to take any more. He looked in Yvette's direction and she nodded in agreement. He didn't want to take her life. She meant to much to him. She comforted him when he went killed Black Tom Cassidy. 

He started to cry, something he didn't do often. "You can't possibly understand what I'm going through." 

The red-haired woman walked over to him and said, "I think we can. Let me introduce myself and my husband." He noticed that the man in the red sunglasses walked over to her side. "This is Scott Summers, and I am his wife Jean. We are members of the X-Men, and former students of Charles Xavier." He realized something at that moment. These two had suffer the same pain he was dealing with now. They had been betrayed, but it wasn't the same, or was it? 

Rich looked up at them and said, "What was Professor Xavier like before Onslaught?" 

Scott Summers said, "He was always working on peace between humans and mutants. He always believed it was possible." 

Jean continued by saying, "And he still does. He hoped that by serving time for what Onslaught did, he can rebuild that dream." It wasn't totally the same, at least Xavier still cared for his students. 

"But, that's not my problem. The one that I trusted was family and went against everything he said." 

It was Monet who then said, "Like I used to trust my brother." He looked over at Monet, a bit shocked. He knew that those two never got along, at least right now. "Rich, when I was younger, I trusted my brother to help me, protect me, and he did, until his abilities manifested. I tried to help in finding a cure, but it all changed that day." He knew what she was talking about when she said that day, the day he first attacked her. It still wasn't the same, thou. 

Yvette then said, "Rich, when I lost my family and I was without a home, Emplate took me, saying he would take care of me." Between the four of them, Rich realized that they did understand what he was going through. 

Rich finally started to get out of his depression, "If Bastion killed himself to try and protect me, it was probably useless. There is probably another of those Sentinels coming to attack the school." 

Jean looked at him and said, "Do know what Bastion did when he killed himself?" He shook his head, because when it happened, he had his eyes closed. "Bastion sent a signal that destroyed every Sentinel and all existence of Zero Tolerance." He looked up at her in shock. "A group of Sentinels were about to attack our plane, when the robots self destructed. A government official, who is good friends of the X-Men, told us of what had happened." 

Rich realized what she was saying. Bastion didn't just kill himself. Bastion destroyed all of Zero Tolerance to protect him. It was Bastion's last attempt to renew the faith Rich had place in him. Rich now understood that his uncle, the former leader of Zero Tolerance, still cared for him. "I still wished that he hadn't killed himself, but you can't change the past." He looked at all of them and said, "Thank you. I guess I was just hit too hard in the emotion department." 

Yvette just hugged him and said, "At least you are feeling better." It wasn't going to take long, but he would return to his 'normal' life. He just wondered if Bastion's last attempt to make peace would have lasting affects. 

* * *

"January 31" 

"Dear Diary," 

"It has been two weeks since Rich had started to recover from all the events of his first month here. He and Penny have returned to there normal lives, as well as everyone else had. I know that Rich told me that Marius is still fighting to stop the madness and hunger that controls him, and that there is still hope to rescue him. As for Bastion, Rich still hopes that all that Bastion did was not for nothing. If Bastion had any reason for what he did, Rich said that anything left would appear soon. Rich doesn't sound pessimistic, but I hope he doesn't regret what he..." 

There was a knocking at Monet's door. She replied, "Yes." 

The voice from outside the door was that of Rich. "Monet, I think something is up." 

She ran and opened the door, "What is, Rich?" He handed her a piece of paper and she read it. She was amazed at what was on it. 

"I should have known. Regardless of what he said, Bastion considered mutants as equals. He said he protected that girl. His last wish is that Ms. Frost makes her a member of the school." 

"I hope this works out." He nodded and left to tell everyone else. He had probably already told Penny, but she knew that she still had doubt of his belief. Monet returned to her diary. 

"said. I hope more that we all benefit by it." 

"Monet." 

Finis? 


	24. Trust

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Relatively Dangerous 

Trust 

It had been a quiet day at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. At least that was how it had started. Rich still wished that some of the others had stayed behind. He couldn't remember who had stayed behind with him and Yvette, but now they were in no shape to move. Yvette and he had been running from an unknown attacker, one that was after him. It wasn't Emplate, so he was thanking God for that small favor. Yvette and he had turned a corner, and even though there was an open hallway to run down, they ran into an invisible wall. As they recovered from the collision, Rich felt the wall close around them. Both he and Yvette were having trouble breathing, as a female voice said to him, "Your life is over." 

Richard Cale awoke and sat straight up in his bed. He was gasping for breath. He hated nightmares, especially like this. He knew he wouldn't get back to sleep anytime soon. He glanced at the clock in his room. 3 AM. This was a bad one, and a bad sign. The last time he had these nightmares, Emplate had attacked the school. Rich decided that it would be best to get dressed and walk around. Once he was dressed, he grabbed his flute and left the guy's dorm. 

* * *

Elane looked back at the letter she had received weeks ago. She knew she had a powerful mutant ability, and the first plan she had to use it was halted by one person. Until now, she never knew how he knew, and now a gentleman who had met him had offered her a chance at revenge. She walked through Logan airport and watched for the person that would meet her. It was hard to think how she could easily find a man about 3 to 4 feet tall in the sea of people. It wasn't until she heard someone say, "Ms. Elane," that she turned and saw the person she was looking for. 

"Are you the one who sent me the letter?" she asked him, noticing that on his chauffeur's hat, there was a card with the letters DOA on it. 

Without the grin ever leaving his face, the man said, "No. That was the master. He is most eager to meet you. He feels that he can offer you the one thing you desire most." He was right, and Elane smiled. As if reading her mind, he then said, "The master is waiting at his house, and I will take you there." 

Immediately, the man had taken her to a black limo, slightly beat-up, and started it on its way. As he drove, Elane saw a gate and sign that read, "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." She turned to the man and said, "Is that..." 

"Yes, that is where he is. The master has a plan for you that will get you in and out in no time." Elane was never one who enjoyed many people, but then the larger a group, the harder to control things with her powers. Eventually the car pulled to a stop at a lighthouse. He took her inside and led her up the steps. Halfway up, Elane noticed an empty cell, with many cuts in the walls. The man who had wanted to meet her was evil, and she loved it. At the top of the stairs, the man disappeared through a door and talked with someone. A second later, the man came out and said, "The master is ready to see you." She followed the man into the room and was shocked at what she saw.

* * *

Emplate knew what he was doing. He wanted this girl to know what would happen to her if she failed him. The look on her face showed him that he had received the desired effect. He looked at the girl. She was a blond, about eighteen, and she had a very powerful mutant ability. From what he could see, it had a great deal to do with aura manipulation. He then said to her, "Welcome to my home, Ms. Bonstein. I take it that you enjoyed your trip." 

She appeared to get her wits together and ask, "Who are you who can offer me vengeance on the one who ruined my plans?" She jumped right to the root of the meeting. 

"My name is Emplate. I have met with the target of your fury before. When he first arrived at the airport, I tried to capture him, but he knew I was waiting. Later I attacked the school and he used my own abilities against me. He is a mimic, who can even mimic personalities and thoughts. That is how he ruined your plans. I offer you the chance to ruin his life." 

"How do you know that my ex-cousin ruined my plans? I never said anything about my plans, and how my power could help me do that." 

"My unique abilities have earned me knowledge on sight. I know how much you hate your ex-cousin. I know of the plans that you had, and how they were ruined." 

"Alright, but how does that help me in ruining his life?" 

"Do you know that he fears me the most? He fears that I will use his abilities to turn him into another being like me. He also fears for the safety of the girl he has fallen in love with, a former prisoner of mine. Your vengeance would be to bring them to me and watching him suffer." 

He watched Elane Bonstein smile. There was something unique in the smile. "And what if I fail?" There was a tone of defiance in her voice. She had something up her sleeve and he couldn't tell what. 

"Then, I will have to sup on you." He held up his hands and let the mouths on them show. Instead of recoiling back as he would have expected, Elane walked over to him. 

"Then, you will lose a chance at a woman who can offer you love. I can allow you to breathe without that respirator." His eyes went wide. Could this girl's abilities allow him to breathe without his respirator? He watched her and noticed that her right hand had formed a cup. He felt something like a helmet on his shoulders. She approached him and said, "Remove the mask." It was said so sweet that he felt he had to try. 

He heard D.O.A., his valet, yell, "Sir, it's a trick. She's going to kill you." He understood the concern, but this girl was so evil that she was in love with him. He removed his respirator and breathed the air. It was the same as what went through his respirator. 

He let a smile cross his now visible face and said to Elane. "I believe you have proven to be worthy of not being my meal." 

She smiled and said, "I can do this at any time for you. It is in thanks for giving me the chance to wipe out Richard. You might want to get the respirator back on, for I will return my aura to its normal form soon." He was almost distracted when she kissed him, but he quickly did so. 

He gazed at her and said, "Together we can destroy Generation X. Now, I will transport you to the school at the time when everyone, except Richard and Yvette, will be gone. At that time, you will capture them and bring them here, understand." 

"Perfect. Rich will never know what hit him." She laughed very viciously and Emplate took delight in hearing it. 

He turned to his valet and said, "D., take Elane to her quarters." D.O.A. escorted Elane out of the room and Emplate returned to his chair and sat down. Quietly he said, "Now, Richard and Yvette, I shall have both of you in my power." He started to laugh aloud. 

* * *

Emma Frost awoke in her bed when she heard a crash outside her window. She put a robe on and ran to the window. She opened the window and looked out. She heard a voice say, "Cripes, this is not going to be a good day. I walked into Emma's home and fell into the shrubs. The way this day is going it should be about now when..." It was Richard Cale. For the past two months, Rich had been the newest student. In a day's time, although, the ward of Rich's former uncle was going to be a student here. But Rich was never up this early, unless he had a nightmare. 

She looked down at Rich and said, "I hope you haven't had another nightmare, but judging by your mood, that is a long shot." She knew about the secret of Rich's nightmares, and she knew that last time, he was right. 

He looked up at her and said, "I'm sorry I woke you up. I figured that you got woken up, and yes, I did have a nightmare." Emma watched as Rich got up and brushed off his clothes. She noticed that he was very upset. 

"Rich, would you like to talk about it, or maybe let me try and figure out what is bothering you about this nightmare?" She knew that Rich did not like having her psionically probing his mind, but she hoped he would agree. 

It was a complete surprise to her when he said, "Maybe you can find something that I can't" After what she did his second day at the school, Rich had told her, in his actions, that this nightmare had something that worried him. 

"Rich, I will be down in a moment. Wait for me at the door." She watched as he nodded and headed toward the front door of her home. She quickly got dressed, and headed down to open the door. She did not know how long Rich had been outside, but it was cold that February night. She was wearing her white sweater as well as her usual winter outfit. She opened the door and stepped back, allowing Rich to get through without his mutant ability latching onto hers. She closed the door and motioned to a couch, "Would you like to sit down and tell me about it?" 

He sat down on the couch and said, "I can explain it, but it will not lead me to the solution to my problem. I would appreciate any help you can give, by going into my nightmare." This was what she least suspected he would ask, for her to mentally look at his nightmare. She noticed that he relaxed himself so he would not be knocked out like the last time. She then focused on Rich's mind and entered that part where all his dreams were stored. She first saw the one where Emplate had attacked Rich. That one was when she discovered that his nightmares were usually omens of things to happen. She then found the recent nightmare. She watched as Rich and Yvette were running from something. The attacker seemed to be focused on Rich, but didn't mind catching Yvette as well. The attacker took more of a form as she watched. 

Eventually, Emma could determine that the attacker was a female, with the voice of evil. Emma wondered if Rich's psychic energy had generated this image of an enemy that he might have made in his past. She noticed that Rich and Yvette had gone unconscious, while floating in the air, but the dream was starting to fade out. She had to act quickly. She psionic said to the female form, [Who are you?] 

The form looked at her and said, [I am relatively dangerous to all of you.] With that Emma was knocked out of the confines of the dream by an unknown force. She floated out of Rich's mind in bewilderment, not knowing what to say. 

As she recovered from the occurrence, Rich said, "Are you alright?" Rich always behaved like a gentleman, at least when he was calm. She noticed that there was a look of worry in his eyes. 

"I will be fine, Rich. I am going to contact Sean, but first I want to ask you, the female attacker said she was relatively dangerous, do you have any idea what that means?" He shook his head and Emma realized that this might be a possible problem. "Rich, I am going to talk to Sean about this, alright." He nodded and Emma gave Sean a psionic call.

* * *

Sean didn't like being awakened by Emma, but he remembered the last time Rich had a nightmare. If this was any indication of another attack by Emplate, they had all the right in the world to worry. A new mutant was going to join the school soon. When Rich received the letter from his former uncle, Rich said it was his last act from the grave. It was this day that Daria, a female mutant about Jubilee's age, was arriving at the school. When he arrived at Emma's home on the campus, Emma was waiting at the door. "So Rich had a nightmare. Is Emplate going to attack?" 

Emma looked at him and shook her head. She then said softly, "The attacker in Rich's dream was female, and someone that Rich knows. The thing is, Rich can't think of who it is. The person must be planning to attack when Rich and Yvette are here, according to Rich's dream, but Rich appeared to be the center of the attacker's focus." Sean didn't know if this was worse or better. Knowing that it wasn't Emplate was a plus, but an unknown attacker was a minus. 

"Do ye think that it is someone who Rich had wronged?" 

"I'm not sure. I think we should ask him." Sean couldn't argue with that and the two walked over to the room where Rich was waiting. The noticed that Rich was laying on the couch. 

Rich looked at them and looked as if he was sorry for putting his feet on the couch. He quickly sat back up and then said, "More questions?" 

"Aye. Emma told me about the dream and I was wondering if there is anyone in yuir family or ye have met that ye have wronged." He knew he had regretted not telling the students about his cousin, but he hoped that Rich didn't have a skeleton in his closet like that. 

Rich looked at them and said, "I had given my parents strict instructions that they had to contact me, if and only if, someone had an urgent problem to talk to me about. I would contact them if I wanted to say 'Hello' to someone I had meet. None of the people who got on my bad side, or who I had gotten on the bad side of, knows where I am." 

"I hope yuir right, lad." He glanced at the clock and noticed the time. "Rich, how long have ye been up?" 

"Since 3 AM, Sean." 

"You've been awake for two and a half hours now. What was the earliest that ye have woken from these nightmares?" 

"3 AM." 

Sean didn't need to hear that. It might be a clue to how soon this might happen. "What was the second earliest?" 

"4 AM, when I had the nightmare with Emplate in it." The last time it was a day that passed since the nightmare and the event. Maybe there was a link between the amount of time he slept and the time between the dream and event. 

"Rich, do ye think there might be a link between the time you slept and the time till the attack?" He watched as Rich shuddered. Something about what he had just asked scared Rich. 

"Sean, I sometimes don't fall asleep until after midnight. The night I had the nightmare about Emplate was on about four hours sleep. This one was after two hours sleep." Sean realized what his theory meant. The attack would happen sometime today. If anything, they could not leave Rich and Yvette alone at the school. He knew that Rich and Yvette always spent a lot of time together. 

"I hope yur dream doesn't come true when we pick up Daria today." 

Rich's eyes widened in shock. "Omigosh, that's right. Today is the day that Daria arrives. The attack seemed to take place when you were all gone. Then all I have to do is go to the airport, and everything will be fine." He yawned with his last word. Sean wondered if Rich would be awake by the time they had to leave for the airport. 


	25. Family Secrets

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Relatively Dangerous 

Family Secrets 

Yvette had woken up early today. She wanted to help out in preparing a room for this new student. Nobody was up yet, so she decided to go get breakfast for herself. Since Rich had arrived, she had started to live a new life, different from her life in Yugoslavia, and much different than her imprisonment by Emplate. She went to the main building and went to the kitchen. Yvette figured that she would have a quiet breakfast of Apple Jacks and a glass of apple juice. She did enjoy apples, even back when her mother used to give them to her. She was quite surprised to see Sean Cassidy, one of the teachers, awake and in the kitchen. "Sean, I'm surprised you're up." 

He looked at her and said, "I'm not the only one up." He motioned to some people in the room. At the counter, Emma was making a cup of coffee, and from what Jubilee and some of the others said, it was the only thing she could make safely. She glanced over at the table and saw Rich sitting there, and it was obvious that he didn't sleep well. 

She watched as he looked at her and said, "Hi, love. I think I have bad news." She realized what that meant. Rich had had another nightmare. She decided to approach him, for when his powers latched onto hers, they could mentally talk in her native tongue, and that was usually how he told her most of his secrets. As she approached, Rich said {I think someone from my past is coming after me.} 

She was confused by this. Rich never said much about anyone who he made mad. {Is it Emplate? If he is coming, then we have to hide.} She was still afraid of Emplate, and she felt safe attacking him only when he was weak, so weak he would disappear. 

{No, but for some reason that I cannot explain, I wish it was.} He was more worried then ever, but luckily, he was not mad at it. 

{Who could scare you that much, enough to make you wish Emplate was attacking?} She could tell she asked the wrong question when Rich instantly tensed up. She pulled back so he wouldn't cut her. She watched as his claws made cuts into the table. Sean and Emma ran over and she decided not to press any further. Rich would tell her when he was ready. She then turned to face Sean and Emma. 

"What did ye say to the lad, Yvette?" Sean was worried by how fast that Rich had tensed up. 

"I think I asked him a very sensitive question that he is not ready to answer yet," she replied honestly. 

"Yvette," Emma said, "you know Rich better than any of us. Is there anything he might have done that made someone mad at him." 

She thought about it for a moment, and all she could remember was just the little rivalries he had growing up. "Most that I remember is the guys he never got along with in school." 

"That could be a problem, because the attacker in Rich's dream is female." Yvette started to worry about this. She wondered if it might be a girl who might have loved him, but he didn't feel love for them. 

Yvette started to voice her thought when she heard Paige Guthrie gasp. "Omigosh, what happened to Rich?" Paige was apparently shocked by the fact that Rich was mimicking her abilities. 

Yvette looked at her and said, "Rich had another nightmare, and something about it appears to have hit a sensitive spot in his past." She hoped that would satisfy Paige's curiosity. She sometimes wondered if Rich's attempts to patch things up between Paige and Jono were mistaken as interest. 

Paige swallowed and asked the same question that everyone would probably ask, "Is Emplate going to attack?" The look of worry was evident. Everyone was told about the dream after Emplate's attack, and everyone had a fear that Rich would have another nightmare like that. 

Emma looked at Paige and said, "I don't believe it is. Rich allowed me to mentally examine his dream." Yvette finally realized that this nightmare had really scared him, for him to allow Emma to go into his mind. Emma then said, "The attacker in Rich's dream was female, which could mean anything." 

Yvette decided to voice her opinion. "Emma, I think it might be a girl that who might have had feelings for him." 

Paige looked at her and said, "If that is the case, Yvette, you better be careful, because it might be something like the movie, 'The Crush'. Your life might be in danger." 

Yvette was just about to say something when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see Rich standing there and saying, "I wonder if that is it. A girl that had feelings for me, but I didn't have feelings for. That would be better than what I was thinking." She looked somewhat relieved when he said that. "I'll tell you about the worse fear later." He then mentally said to her, {Give me some time alone to think of how to tell you about that, Okay, love.} 

Yvette smiled at the love in her life and said, "Okay, I'll see you later." She watched as he left the kitchen. She looked at everyone and said, "I think he is going to tell me something later, should I ask him if I can tell you about it." Sean and Emma nodded and Yvette went to get her breakfast.

* * *

Monet St. Croix had just woken up and looked out on the day. It was a nice day, especially for the new student to arrive on. She had gotten dressed in one of her nicer outfits, but then all her outfits were nice. She left the girl's dorm and walked towards the main building. On her way, she saw Rich walking in her direction. He looked as if he was lost in thought. She walked over to him and said, "Is there something troubling you, Rich?" 

He noticed her and stopped moving, so that he would not latch on to her mutant ability. He then said, "Nothing you can help me with. In fact, you are the last person to ask for help in this matter." 

She was shocked at what he said. She argued about what he said, "How can you be sure about that? I can probably help with your problem." 

"Have you told them the truth of Marius? The truth of your abilities, or even your sisters?" He had hit a nerve, but then he seemed to be good when it came to arguing with someone. He continue, "In the two months I've been here, what they know about you and what I know differs by such a leap that Neil Armstrong wouldn't try and take a shot at making it." Monet couldn't deny that he most likely knew the truth about the first two, but the truth about the twins was almost impossible. 

"Rich, I don't think the time is right to tell them about everything. You found out about my brother by misfortune. As for the truth of my abilities, that I had to tell you. When it comes to my younger sisters, I cannot yet tell anyone about them." She hoped that he hadn't latched onto her abilities, but due to her distance from him, he probably had. 

"I offer my sympathies to that little family secret, but I must find the right way to tell Yvette about one person I fear as much as Emplate." Monet finally realized that Rich harbored a skeleton in his closet that must have haunted him for most his life. 

"Is something bothering you, Rich?" She noticed the worried look on his face and remembered seeing it before. 

Just as he was about to say something, the unmistakable voice of Jubilee said, "From what Paige just told me, he had another nightmare." She turned to face Jubilee. Jubilee was obviously ready for the day, and she was not alone. Everett was right by her side. The two had become as close as Rich and Penny had been. Monet wouldn't admit it, but she had feelings for Everett. 

She was just about to say something when Rich said, "Too many cooks spoiling the broth." She knew it was an old cliché, and Rich usually talked in old clichés. She turned and saw Rich fly off. Maybe he needed to be alone to think about this. 

When Everett and Jubilee were close enough, Everett said, "I think this one really has him scared. From what Paige said, Penny asked him a question about it and he tensed up. He put a couple nasty cuts in the table." Everett watched as Rich flew behind one of the buildings. 

"I hope he remembers that he won't have my ability for long. But where could he go to be alone." Monet had wondered about that. She usually had her autism to pull her out this world and into her own fantasy realm. 

"Well, since Beast took Artie, Franklin and Leech to the X-Men's temporary home, he might disappear to the tree house. He might get at least an hour of peace. Angelo, Jono, and Mondo are going to work on their abilities today." Jubilee finished off. Monet realized that Rich was not going to get the peace and quiet he needed to think. She then went with them to get breakfast.

* * *

Jono looked around the Biosphere. Skin, Mondo and he felt that they had to train their abilities more. After Mondo's experience being captured by Black Tom, all of them had been training. Today, the three of them were practicing using their abilities to stop a threat. Emma always thought that the best way was to practice against each other. Jono figured that Angelo would probably take high ground, but it was Mondo that was more dangerous, for he had the best cover. Mondo's mutant ability could allow him to become anything organic. Jono looked around for Mondo. It was unnerving, because Mondo could be right underneath his feet. Jono looked up around the trees. He was near the tree house, and odds were that Angelo wouldn't hide there, but then last place to look was the place something you were looking for was. As Jono started to approach the tree house, what looked like vines almost hit him. He looked up and saw a figure in the trees. It was Angelo. He said to his teammate, _"Good try, but the timing was off."_ With that, Jono let a blast loose and knocked Angelo from the tree. 

Angelo stood up and said, "You got me, but I think we might both get caught now." Then Angelo lost his balance, and Jono realized that the ground was moving. They were standing right on top of Mondo. 

As Mondo knocked them in two directions, Angelo off in the direction of the control room, he in the direction of the tree house, Mondo said, "Did I do well with waiting?" Mondo returned to his normal form. 

"Not bad. You probably would have surprised half the guys I use to hang with." 

_"Very good. You waited for a moment to catch us off guard. That is a good offensive maneuver."_ Mondo smiled knowing that he did well. _"I think we have all learned that surprise is a good weapon."_

Surprise was also a bad thing. When his ability manifested, it took him and Gayle by surprise, and left both of them with wounds. He was about to say about the cons of surprise when all of a sudden, a familiar voice went, "Oh Sh..," and an explosion took out the wall of the tree house, as Rich came flying out, looking like Jono did. It was with good reflexes that Angelo used his abilities to bring Rich to the ground before Rich hit a tree. Rich looked around, and since he was near Jono, he psionically said, _"I think I should have asked someone about this, huh?"_

Mondo walked over and said, "Something wrong, my friend. You can tell me" Mondo always treated Rich as a friend for life, due to the fact that Rich was the one that saved him from Black Tom. Almost everyone else was treated as a friend. 

_"I was just thinking about something. I had a nightmare last night."_ Jono remember what had happened last time, but now was a time to be ready in case this one came true. He then noticed that Rich looked very tired. 

_"Is there anything we should worry about with this nightmare?"_ Jono hoped that it could be dismissed, and he was hoping that Paige was not going to be hurt, although he still hadn't told her he was sorry about Thanksgiving. 

_"Not that I can think of right now. Although, I think I have finally decided about what I was thinking about."_ Jono watched as Rich made a motion as if he was yawning. Rich then looked at his hand and said, _"Forgot that like this, I have no mouth. Right now, I think our biggest worry will be explaining to Artie, Franklin and Leech why their tree house has a wall missing."_

Angelo responded to that by saying, "Don't worry. Everett and I can get it patched up before the kids return." Jono was somewhat relaxed at knowing that he was not included on that project. He decided that soon, he would try to patch things up with Paige. 

Mondo then said to Rich, "What do we know about this new student that will be arriving today." Jono figured that Mondo asked the question to change the mood of the situation. 

Rich then reached into a pocket and pulled out the letter he had received a few weeks ago. _"According to what Bastion had said in the letter, she is about Jubilee's age. Her name is Daria. As for her ability, that is a mystery. Other than that, we have to wait and see what Daria says when she gets here. Does that answer any questions?"_

Jono then said, _"Any idea why we are all going to meet her?"_ He thought it was unusual for everyone to be going to meet her. 

_"All the letter said was that it would be best for her protection."_

_"Maybe Emplate will be less likely to attack if we are all there."_

"That sounds right," Angelo said in agreement. Jono remembered that Emplate had attacked him the moment he got off the plane. That was an experience he wished no one to share. 

_"Well, I think I better be going. There is something I must talk to Yvette about before we have to leave for the airport."_ With that Rich headed out of the Biosphere. Jono figured it might be a while before Rich decided to talk to anyone, knowing that Rich had to let his ability leave him. 

Jono turned back to Angelo and Mondo and said, _"Do you think we should continue with training?"_

Angelo turned to him and said, "Si, I still have to catch the both of you off guard." With that, the trio returned to practicing.

* * *

Jubilee looked around. She didn't know much about Daria, but she hope that she would like her part of the decorating. Almost everybody who was helping set up the room had added their own touch to the room. Jubilee decided to help Penny put up the curtain that Penny had picked out. Monet, who was watching them, said "I think to the left." 

Jubilee was a little frustrated that Monet was giving her instructions on how to hang a curtain. The two had a called a truce back at Emma's Canadian house, after they were rescued from Toad. But, Monet did have a way of getting on ones nerves. She said, "Monet, if you want to help, why don't you come up her and help us." 

Monet responded quickly and calmly. "I am helping by watching from here. I can see what you can't see. Besides, it is a suggestion." 

Everett, who was helping Paige get the bed ready, said, "I think it looks fine, Jubes." At least Everett was on her side. 

Paige turned her head and looked at the curtain and said, "Ah think a little to the right." Terrific, one for left, one for right, and one for fine. Jubilee had to agree with Monet that it was best for a person not near the curtain to judge. 

Regardless of that, Jubilee turned her head and said, "What do you think, Penny?" She always thought of Penny as a sister, and after Rich's arrival, Penny expressed the same thoughts. 

Penny looked at her and said, "Well, sis, I think we need a tie-breaker." She then said, "And go easy on Monet. It wasn't an order she gave." Jubilee realized what Penny meant. She had been a slave of Emplate for a long time before being brought to the school. She would know the difference between Monet and Emplate best. Again, if it wasn't for Rich, she would have never told the stories about what he did to her. Sometimes, they all wished that she hadn't. 

Jubilee had to agree with Penny and shouted, "Could somebody help us figure out which way to move the curtain?" It was almost a plea than a request. 

Just as she finished speaking, she heard Rich's voice say, "Half an inch to the left and it will look great." Well, at least that was better than Monet just saying to the left. She and Penny moved the curtain and then backed away from it. The red curtain looked lovely in the sunlight. Rich was right about the look and it was almost instantaneously that Penny was by his side. 

"You're right. It does look great." She was smiling as the two look at the curtains. Rich was smiling as well. He seemed to appear a bit drained as he yawned. The nightmare he had had that night must have woken him up on little sleep. 

Rich looked Penny in the eyes and said, "Yvette, could we go someplace and talk, alone." Jubilee noticed a look of recognition in her eyes as she nodded. Rich must have wanted to tell her about something he didn't want everybody to know yet. Rich had told Penny many secrets about his life since the two had been seeing each other. They all found out about that when Rich went into his depression. 

Penny turned to everybody and said, "I'm going to leave for a while. I hope I am not leaving at a bad time." Everybody understood what was going on and she left with Rich. 

Paige broke the silence when she said "Ah wonder if that has anything with what she asked him this morning. Ah remember that it struck a nerve with him." 

Jubilee wondered what it was Penny had asked Rich. "Do you know what she asked, Paige?" Jubilee could not think of a single time, other than during his depression, that Penny had ever struck a nerve with Rich. 

"Ah wish Ah did know, but Ah don't." 

Monet had bit her lower lip. She knew something, and Jubilee turned to face her. "What is it, Monet?" 

Monet looked at her and said, "I think it is a skeleton that he has in his closet. A secret he wished he would never face again." 

"Like you and Emplate?" Everyone knew the connection between Monet and Emplate, but they didn't know how deep it went. 

"I don't know, but for some reason, I think there is some connection." 

"Well," Everett said to everyone, "if it is anything like that. It can't be worse than Emplate." Deep down, Jubilee hoped it wouldn't be like what she had faced once. When she used to hang with Wolverine, they got pulled into the Mojoverse, and she had to deal with a version of herself that worked for Mojo.

* * *

As he walked with Yvette back to the main building, Rich decided to tell her about the one person he feared more than Emplate. With her ability, he psionically said, {Love, I want to tell you about something from my past.} 

She looked at him and responded. {What is it?} 

He decided to start from the beginning of how it began, {You remember me mentioning my uncle, the one with the mutant ability to see the future.} 

{Yes.} 

He yawned. Fatigue was catching up with him. {He used to be in the army, and he took a nasty blow. Afterward, he couldn't have children, so he was forced to adopt.} 

{That must have been terrible, I mean to not be able to be a father naturally. My folks told me about it when I was about to have a younger sister.} 

{Well, they did adopt. It was a couple years after he married my mother's sister. The first child was a boy, which was a baby. Everybody loved that child, and thought him adorable.} 

{What happened then?} 

{Years later, the boy wanted a sister, or brother. They caved in and adopted a girl. She came from a broken home. No one believed she was the problem, not until a few days later.} 

He could see the concern in her eyes. She stopped the story and said, {Rich, I think you should tell Sean and Emma about this.} They were in the main building now, and fatigue was really hitting him. He wanted to finish this story, but he couldn't keep awake. 

He looked into Yvette's blue eyes and said, {I think I will, but I think I better rest first. Please wake me before we have to leave to get Daria from the airport. It might the only way to avert this nightmare.} 

Yvette nodded and they walked over to the lounge. Rich decided to lie down on the sofa and rest a while. He needed the sleep, and the rest. As he drifted off into dreamland, he felt Yvette kiss him on cheek and say, "Don't worry, I'll always protect you, as you protected me." He felt better hearing something like that as sleep took him to his dreams.

* * *

Sean was with Emma in his office. In a few hours, they had to go to the airport. The fact that Rich had another nightmare only made things more complicated. He and Emma were still thinking about it as they were planning out Daria's first few days here. He was about to ask her about the Biosphere session when Emma said something disturbing. "Sean, do you think that Daria is who is threatening Rich?" 

"Now, that is a daft idea, Emma. What would Rich have to worry about from her?" Although, he wouldn't admit that he had had the same thought. 

Emma had a simple answer for that. "It is similar to what a child goes through when a new child is going to be born. Maybe he feels threatened by her presence. We know that the attacker is a female mutant." 

"And that is a reason to suspect Daria? We don't even know what the girl's abilities are?" Sean then started to think along the same lines that Emma was. That was disturbing, to think that the new student was the one who would attack Rich. 

"We know that she was in Bastion's care. Who knows how that might have warped her mind?" Emma was about to continue when there was a knocking at the door. 

"Come in," Sean said. The door opened and Yvette came into his office. He probably knew why she was here. He motioned for her to sit down and then said, "Did he say anything?" 

Yvette looked a little concerned when she said, "It is something that he would tell you in his own words. All I can say is that it must have been a daughter of his uncle." Sean noticed the look that Emma was giving him. 

Before Emma could say anything, Sean remembered Rich had two uncles. He looked at Yvette and asked, "Was it his uncle on his mother's side?" When she nodded, they were now faced with an unknown attacker again, but there was relief that it wasn't Daria. Now all they had to do was figure out who wanted to attack Rich. "Can Rich elaborate on who it might be?" 

Yvette just looked at him and said, "The lack of sleep has caught up him. He's asleep in the lounge." Sean hoped that Rich would wake up before they had to pick up Daria. In his mind, Sean could see Yvette staying behind until Rich awoke, and they might not see the two ever again. The thought that it wasn't Emplate offered little assurance. For all that could happen, this unknown attack could be working for Emplate, but Emplate didn't have any female mutant Hellions. 

Sean noticed Emma leaning over to Yvette. He heard her say, "Yvette, why don't you keep an eye on Rich and wake him if he has another nightmare." He watched as Yvette nodded in agreement and left the office. Sean was a bit suspicious about that when Emma said, "No, I didn't use my powers on her. But now, we have to wonder who might be the problem, and I think Rich would be very upset if we called his family for help." 

"Aye. But what other choice do we have? We have little time left before we have to leave for Logan airport." 

Emma just looked and said, "If we are forced to leave Rich and Yvette here, then we will leave someone to protect them." Emma was being smart about this. She was remembering Rich's wishes, and the fact that Rich didn't want his family to know about the problems here was top on the list. Sean then wondered if that might be the one thing Rich would regret. 


	26. Dreams Do Come True

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Relatively Dangerous 

Dreams Do Come True... 

Elane was looking out of the lighthouse window when she heard Emplate enter the room. She turned to face her new ally and asked, "Is it time?" 

Emplate walked over to her and said, "Soon, everyone will be leaving the school. I have gotten insight that Richard and Yvette would stay behind. The fact is that you might be expected." 

She did not like the sound of that. "What do you mean?" 

Emplate looked at her and said, "They are planning to have someone stay behind with them. That won't affect the plan any, will it?" His words were almost harsh, but she knew he wouldn't sup on her. 

"One extra person is not a problem. It is hard for me to focus my aura on more than four targets. The less I have to take on, the more likely success will occur. Now, Emplate, I have a question for you?" 

"And that is?" 

"The girl that Richard has taken a liking to, Yvette. Is there another reason you want her brought here?" She heard Emplate sigh as if there was a weight on his shoulders. 

"That girl was unlike most of the other mutants I supped on. She lasted the longest. I still wonder where my life ended and hers began. The fact that she escaped has made it harder for me to survive. If the opportunity would have arisen, I would have traded them one mutant for her." 

"And forcing Rich to watch her suffer would be painful for him as well. I could really love it here. But how will I get to the school to capture them?" 

"I shall transport you to the school, but do you have a way to hide from the cameras." Elane knew that this would shock Emplate, as well as Generation X. She focused on her aura and allowed it not to emanate from her, but to envelope her. Emplate then exclaimed, "Amazing, you have become invisible." 

"I can do this at anytime, Emplate. They won't know where I am, until I attack them." She allowed herself to become visible again and said, "Anything else I should know?" 

"Yes. I don't want them to know of my involvement, at least not yet. When you leave, head north from the school. Eventually, you will see the lighthouse." 

"Then, I'm ready to attack." She noticed that Emplate held out his hand. 

"Take hold of my hand, and I shall take you to the gate of the school. And put your aura around the two of us." She did as he said, and instantaneously, they left the plane of reality and passed through what seemed a realm of hands, reaching out to slash them to pieces. They then appeared at the gate of the school, and Emplate left the same way they arrived. She put her aura up, and disappeared from sight.

* * *

Everett walked into the lounge with Jubilee, Monet and Paige to see Rich, fast asleep on the sofa, and Penny sitting near him. He always figured that after the impression Rich made on her, that the two could never be separated. She looked up at them and motioned for quiet. Obviously, Rich had given in to the need to sleep. Of course, the way that everyone had said he was yawning, it wouldn't be too long. He whispered to Penny, "Do you think he'll wake up soon?" 

She stood up and walked over to them. "Not in time to go to the airport. I'm worried about him. I don't want to leave him alone to face someone who wants to kill him, but his dream said that both of us would be captured, or worse." Everett noticed that she was going to cry. 

Jubilee then said, "Don't worry, Penny. If you stay behind, someone else will stay to help." He noticed that Penny started to calm down. Everett wondered if that would be true if he and Jubilee would be put into that situation. 

It wasn't too long until Sean, Emma, and the others entered the room. Everett knew it was time to leave for the airport, but everybody had heard about Rich's nightmare. He noticed that Sean looked at the couch and asked Penny, "Do ye want to try and wake him?" Penny shook her head and he continued, "Well, I figure that ye will want to stay with Rich, but I want someone to volunteer to stay with them." Everett wondered how much help he could be. The ability was unknown, and apparently by how things appeared, Rich had an idea of who it was. 

It didn't take too long for a response, because Paige said, "Ah'll stay behind, sir. Besides, Ah want to talk to Yvette a bit." He had to admit, there was a look of confusion in Penny's eyes, but he wondered how long it would take Paige to sort things out with Jono. He could also tell by the look in Jono's eyes that he was worried about her facing an unknown attacker. 

"Alright, but be careful, lass." Sean responded to her volunteering, and then said, "Alright everybody, let's head to the airport." Sean then motioned them all to the school van. Everett thought they were all taking a chance by leaving Yvette, Rich and Paige behind, but what could they do. 

As they got into the van, Jubilee said to him, "Hey, Ev, do you think that they will be alright? I mean, we don't know a thing about Rich's family, and we got a shock when we found out about Bastion." He remembered how close Jubilee had been to being Bastion's prisoner. 

"Don't worry. I don't think that anything could be worse in Rich's family than Bastion," he told her, but he didn't believe what he had said. There was just something about it that seemed wrong.

* * *

Paige watched as the van pulled away. Deep down, she thought of how hurt Jono had been. She couldn't keep this anger up forever, she still loved Jono, and Rich was always trying to get her and Jono back together. She knew that in her anger at Jono, she took his interests in her life as and mistook for affection, but she had to admit that Rich had a charm all his own. That was part of the reason she wanted to talk to Yvette about. Rich was the best thing to ever happen to Yvette, and she didn't want Yvette to think that she was trying to take him from her. 

She went back to the lounge and Yvette was sitting next to Rich. He had started to toss and turn. He must have been dreaming again. Yvette must have been trying to wake him psionically. Yvette then saw Paige standing there and said, "Paige, I appreciate that you are staying behind to help, but why did you want to talk to me?" 

Paige knew Yvette was confused about that, so she decided to tell her. "Yvette, Ah don't want you to worry about me trying to take Rich from you anymore. When everyone gets back, Ah'm going to patch things up with Jono. Ah just hope Ah get the time to think about it." She saw a smile cross Yvette's face. 

"Paige, even when I didn't talk, I thought you would make a nice couple. Sometimes, what one doesn't say is the loudest thing they communicate." Paige had to admit that Yvette was right on the nose. A loud crash shattered the quietness of the moment, and Yvette's eyes went wide. "What was that?" 

Paige knew what it was. It was the mystery attacker. She quickly husked her skin, revealing a skin of iron. She turned to Yvette and said, "Wake Rich and find someplace to hide, until Ah call you. Ah think that the mystery attacker has finally arrived." She ran out of the lounge and to the main hall. The door had been smashed open. She looked around and saw no one. She was about to look outside when she felt someone punch her whole body in one shot. She hit the back wall and almost collapsed. 

"Gee, and I was hoping for a challenge." Paige looked up and saw a blond girl, about 18 standing there, with an evil grin on her face. "I guess this will be a quick visit." 

Paige stood and said to the attacker, "Ah will guarantee you that. Ah plan to throw you out of here." She started to run at the girl. The girl just looked at her and laughed. When Paige was halfway to the girl, the girl did a kick at her. Paige thought it was strange, since she was to far away to be hit, until she felt the kick to her stomach. She fell to the ground gasping for breath. 

The girl looked at her and said sarcastically, "Poor little hick girl, did I hurt you? Maybe you need to tighten your gut a bit." Paige watched as the girl clenched her left hand. As the girl's hand tightened into a fist, she could feel a forced crushing her waist. She screamed in pain and the girl released her grip. "Hurt like hell, didn't it, Hick?" Paige couldn't move, but she had to try and husk again. She went to start the process, but her wrists seemed to be held together. As she struggled to separate her wrists, the girl walked over to her head and said, "I am Aura, your worst nightmare." With that, the girl's foot hit her square in the face, and everything went dark.

* * *

Rich awoke as Yvette was shaking him and screaming at him. He looked at her and said, "What's wrong?" He looked around and saw nobody around. No. The nightmare was coming true. He then said, "Yvette, love, where is everybody?" 

She looked at him with a slight panic in her eyes. She then said, "You were asleep, and Sean had asked if anyone would stay behind with us. Paige volunteered and..." 

"Oh no! The nightmare is coming true." 

"Rich, that's not the worst of it. The attacker is here. Paige told us to hide until she came and get us. I then heard a scream out in the hall." Rich knew what that meant. Paige was out of commission. 

Rich looked around the room. In the corner, he saw a vent. "Yvette, the vents might be our only way to safety. I don't think Paige can help us right now." He started to tense up, so he could cut the screws in the vent. 

She did the same and said {What's wrong? Why did you say that?} She was scared now, and he couldn't blame her. 

{In my dream, someone stayed here. By the time of the chase, they were in no shape to help us.} The screw were cut and the vent cover was open. 

{But who could be attacking?} He motioned for her to go into the vent first. He hoped that they would get in and moving before the attacker arrived. 

As he followed her into the vent, Rich heard a familiar voice say, "Come out where ever you are, Rich?" It was who he feared it would be. They were in deep trouble. He closed the vent and motioned Yvette to move until they were out of sight of the vent, and in a cross vent. 

As they stopped, Rich looked at Yvette and said, {Remember that I was telling you about that girl my uncle adopted.} 

She seemed to grasp the concept quickly. {You mean that the attacker is her. Oh my God, what can she do?} 

{She has the ability to extend her aura, to manipulate it to do things. Defensive measures are useless, for her defense is her offense. That was why we must stay out of her sight. I don't know what she can do with her abilities. But, that leaves one question.} 

{How did she find out you were here?} He nodded. He told nobody of the school. And there was no way that she could have found out. 

He was about to say something when a voice echoed through the vents. "Rich, I don't care how, but I will find you, and I will ruin your life. I hope you have a girlfriend, cause I will give her the same treatment I gave the hick that tried to stop me, only worse." 

Rich looked at Yvette and saw she was trembling. He decided to try and comfort her. {Well, I guess there is some good news.} She looked at him in shock and he said, {At least we know that she isn't working with Emplate, because if she was, she would have known that we were an item.} 

Yvette let a small smile cross her face. {I guess your right, but I think we should try and do something.} 

He had to agree. {Something tells me that she beat up Paige pretty bad. We better try and get Paige to the Med-Unit, and soon.} Yvette nodded, and they worked their way through the vents. 

* * *

Daria looked out at the crowd. It was surprising to find out she was a mutant. Bastion had told her that mutants were freaks, and now she was one. She was confused. When Zero Tolerance ended, everyone was shuttled away, except for Daria. She had been handed a letter with a photo, and some money. The letter was from Bastion. He said that his nephew would help her more that he could have. The photo was obvious that of Bastion's nephew. The boy appeared about twenty-one, with brown hair, and brown eyes, other than that, he appeared to look like Bastion. The fact that he wore glasses was the only real difference that Daria could tell between the faces, other than the age. She thought about how Bastion would have tried to help her, maybe by removing the mutant factor, but then what would she be. She had some bad fears although. She remembered the video tape that she had seen, and how the creature called Emplate had attacked Jonothan Starsmore. What if this creature would try and attack her? "Daria?" said a voice in the crowd. Daria turned in the direction of the voice and saw an Asian American girl beckoning her. The girl was about her age. Amongst the group of people, she recognized a few faces from the files that Bastion had. She recognized the blond haired woman as Emma Frost, head of Frost Enterprises, and it was obvious that the boy whose face was half covered was Jonothan Starsmore. 

She walked over to the group. She was nervous. How would these people except her, knowing that she had worked with Bastion? She decided to finally speak up. "Hello, I guess you are from the school?" She looked through the people in the group and failed to find the face of Bastion's nephew. She then asked, "I was just wondering where Richard was?" 

A man with a goatee answered the question. "Rich is back at the school with two of the other students, and we should be getting back there." 

A little bit confused by this, Daria asked, "Is something wrong with him?" 

It was Emma Frost that answered this time. "It appears that Rich has a unique gift for foretelling the future. We don't want to be gone too long, in fear that when we return, he might be dead, as well as the students with him." 

"Is it the Emplate creature?" 

This time, a girl of African descent spoke. "How did you find out about Emplate?" There was shock in her eyes. 

"It was part of the tape from the security cameras that Bastion had 'obtained' when he was searching for mutants. Nobody there knew how to classify it." The look the Africans face had that of distaste when she said the word 'it'. 

The Asian girl spoke again. "You have to forgive Monet, she's a bit touchy about family." 

"Jubilee," Monet had said, "I don't think this should be discussed until at the school." Daria remembered seeing that name before. She was part of the X-Men at one time. 

Daria then remembered what had happened to Jonothan Starsmore and said, "Could you tell me on the way to the school? I don't think that I want to meet this Emplate person right now." 

The man with the goatee then said, "Of course. Along the way, we shall tell ye a bit more about ourselves, but I hope that you have changed since your employment with Bastion." 

Daria thought back to some of the things she saw Bastion do to the prisoners he had. A shiver ran up her spine. "I hope no one ever goes through what I have seen him do, Mr." 

"Cassidy, Sean Cassidy. And ye can call me Sean." Daria had the strangest feeling that her life was going to get a new start. 

* * *

Rich and Yvette had spent the past half hour maneuvering through the vents. Every time he heard the voice of his former cousin, they switched paths. Eventually, they made their way to a vent that lead to the Main Hall. When they left the vents, Yvette said, {You were right, Paige isn't going to be of any help.} Rich saw what Yvette meant. Lying on the floor of the hall was Paige. It was obvious that she tried to use her ability, but was unsuccessful. She was now back to normal flesh and blood, and she was unconscious. The air coming in from the broken front door would not be good for her. 

{We better get Paige covered up, before she catches a cold, besides I don't think she would appreciate someone seeing her like this.} He said, due to the lack of clothing on her body. Yvette nodded and they worked quickly, cutting down a curtain, and covering Paige so she wouldn't freeze, and that she wouldn't be embarrassed when she came to. 

{Apparently, your cousin doesn't intend to let anyone stop her,} Yvette said in a worried tone. He completely understood her concern. 

{I hate to think what she has planned for me if she does catch us. She'll probably make me watch you suffer and die, but then, who knows?} 

{She'll have to find us first, and let's hope we can keep her guessing until everyone returns.} 

"That's it." Rich shouted it, forgetting that his former cousin could be anywhere. He then continued, {That is why the attack happened when hardly anybody was around. She hated crowds. It is harder to manipulate a crowd of people with an aura, because of the size. If we can hold out until Sean and the others return. We'll be safe.} He noticed movement. He and Yvette backed towards the hallway behind them, because the movement was in front of the vent that they had come out of. There was nothing there, but then, she appeared. 

"Well, I should have known you would try and help the Hick, but judging how you and that one act, she must be your girlfriend. Get ready to die, you two." She acted as she was going to grab something. 

{Bolt.} Instantaneously, Rich and Yvette ran down the hallway. They had to find a vent to hide in. They needed all the time they could get. There was no telling how soon everyone would get back. 

As they approached a side hall, Yvette pointed and said, {There is a vent. If we can reach it, we're home free.} He nodded and they made a dive for the vent. In mid air, he felt the pain of hitting the wall, but he knew what they hit. As he and Yvette started to fall to the ground, he felt as if he was hovering. 

He and Yvette were soon in an upright position floating in the air, but immobile. They were facing his former cousin, as she walked down the hall toward them. He noticed that her hands were clenched, as if she was holding something in them. "You know," she said, "I always wondered how the hell you found out about my ability. Now, I found out how." She continued to put pressure on them, more on him than on Yvette. Rich didn't know why she was doing that. 

He started to wonder how she knew he was here. He looked at her and said "Elane, how did you find out that I was here?" He was starting to have trouble breathing. 

She continued putting pressure on him and said, "I hacked into Ms. Frost's computers." Rich, even on the little consciousness he had left, could tell that must have been a lie, but who would help her. He didn't have long to think on it, for everything went to black.

* * *

Yvette looked at Rich. The one person who helped her communicate with Generation X, and the one person who loved her, was hanging in mid air, apparently lifeless. She turned to face the attacker, who he had called Elane and said, "Why are you doing this?" She was scared, not because of what she would do to her, but what she would do to Rich. Rich tried never to hurt anyone, with the exception of Black Tom Cassidy. 

Elane brought Yvette face to face with her and said, "Because, he ruined my plans. I was going to control the world. Strike fear into everyone, and how could anyone stop me. I could become invisible. I could force anyone to do anything. I could even force you to kill him if I wanted to." Yvette shuddered. This girl sounded exactly like Emplate, but she didn't want to feed off them. No wonder Rich was afraid of her. "All I want is to see him suffer, maybe die. After all I do to you, he will be in tears." She felt the pressure as Elane started to constrict her breathing as well. 

"You won't succeed. Our friends will stop you." She hoped that this would be true, but something told her that once Elane had them, they wouldn't see the school ever again. 

"Who said that we would be here?" At that Yvette couldn't breathe anymore. She slipped into unconsciousness. She sensed the darkness of sleep surrounding her, with one difference. There was a high pitched sound. 


	27. Revealed Truths

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Relatively Dangerous 

Revealed Truths 

When Sean pulled the van up to the main building of the school, a feeling of dread hit his entire soul. The door was in pieces. Everyone ran out of the van, including Daria, who still hadn't told them about her ability. She had spent most of the time asking questions, and assuring them that she was no longer part of Zero Tolerance, although everyone knew that the organization had been destroyed. In the main hall of the building, Sean saw a sight he didn't want to see, and it was obvious that Jono was upset as well. 

Sean watched as Jono ran over to Paige's side. He kneeled down to her face and said, _"I should have stayed here as well. Maybe, you wouldn't have ended up like this."_

Sean walked over to Jono's side. "Lad, we didnae know what would happen. But if the attacker was this powerful, then we have to find Rich and Yvette, before it's too late." 

They were almost taken by surprise when Paige spoke. Her voice was weak, but she got one word out. "Aura." Sean started to wonder what it meant, but then noticed something else. Paige had been covered up, and by the sight of the curtains in the room, Rich and Yvette were the ones that did it. 

Sean got up and said, "Jono, you and Mondo get Paige to the med-unit. Everett, try to track down where the attacker is. Jubilee, I want ye to get Daria to a safe place." For once, he hoped that Jubilee would listen to an order. 

Sean got a surprise when Daria spoke up. "Sir, I think I might be able to help." He didn't want her to see some of the evils they worked to stop, at least not yet. 

"Daria, I don't think that would be wise. We don't know what we're dealing with." 

He was about to continue when Everett said, "I think I found her, if Rich's dream is correct." He went off down the hall and everyone followed him. Eventually, Sean saw the sight that Emma had seen in Rich's mind. Rich and Yvette were held in the air, and the attacker was standing in front of them. She had blond hair, and probably was too focused on Rich and Yvette to see them attack her. Sean watched as Everett seamed to launch his aura at her. Just as it would have made contact. She spun around, with a foot sweep. Even though nobody was close to her, everyone seem to fall, as if tripped. The only person who avoided the attack was Jubilee, due to her gymnastic training. 

As Sean got up, the girl just said, "Pitiful. Just wimps at this place." The girl was cocky and Sean was going to make her release the students that she held captive. He let loose a sonic scream, capable of knocking her unconscious, but much to his surprise, she acted as she switched hands and held her right hand up. The sonic scream doubled back and canceled itself out. He then felt a punch hit his midsection. He finally understood what Paige had said. The attacker must call herself Aura, for she controls her aura like Angelo controls his skin.

* * *

Elane looked at the mutants that called themselves Generation X. What was she afraid of? The teacher's sonic scream was easy to counter, and the one who had the glowing aura must have figure out her ability, which is why she knocked everyone down. The girl with the yellow raincoat had to be a show-off. The only one who dodged the foot sweep. She tried to think of what to do next. She had to get out, but not tip off that she was working with Emplate. She hated crowds, for they were harder to control with her ability. She also had to maintain a grip on Richard and Yvette. She was almost startled when the African-American girl came flying at her. Elane formed a fist in her free hand and swung. Her aura complied by enlarging the fists aura and knocking the girl down to the ground and knocking over the teacher, a woman in white, and the African American boy with the aura. "I am starting to wonder if anyone here is a treat. All of you rely on abilities that I can counter." 

Elane realized her mistake when she felt something around her body. It didn't distract her enough to make her lose her grip on her prey. She then saw that the guy with grey skin was doing it. He was controlling his skin, the same she controlled her aura, and he was extending the skin on his right hand. "Guess what, chica? I have a trick of my own like yours," he said in a mocking tone. 

"Yes, but you are going to learn to treat a lady with respect." She quickly brought her knee up and then returned to her stance. It that quick instant, the man's skin left her body and she saw his eyes cross in pain, as he collapsed in agony. She let a smile cross her face, but she had to escape with her prisoners. 

"If you're a lady, then let me knock your lights on," said the girl in the raincoat. This was odd for anyone to say. 

"Don't you mean 'lights out', just like the state you are about to be in?" 

"No." Elane then got the sight of several sparks hit her square in the face. The burning pain each made forced her to react. She put up her hands and formed an aura wall at the level of the girl. She heard her prisoners fall to the floor, but they weren't going anywhere. As she got her eyes used to the sight, she saw that another girl appeared to be dissolving. It was as she was holding back the sparks that she noticed that a swarm of metallic bugs were attack her. 

"What the... I hate bugs." She started to try and hold the bugs and the sparks back, but it was too much. She then realized that vengeance would have to wait. She ran to a door and dived out a window to the outside. She ran off into the woods, enveloping herself with her aura. Emplate was not going to be happy, but then she knew other ways to strike at her former cousin.

* * *

Jubilee had watched as the girl ran out a door. It was an outside room, and she was tempted to follow, but where had all the bugs come from. Jubilee turned and saw Daria dissolving, and the bugs seemed to be coming from her. "Daria, is this your ability?" she asked. 

Daria's voice seemed a bit weak. "Yes, but I'm not sure how to pull myself back together." 

Jubilee saw Emma walk over. Emma knelt down to Daria and said, "Relax." Almost instantly, Daria appeared to calm down a little and the bugs returned to her. She was almost back to normal, when she panicked. She started to dissolve again, and instantaneously Emma's eyes glowed. Emma was helping Daria return to normal. Afterwards, Emma stood and said, "We should get Rich and Yvette to the med-center as soon as possible. Who knows what that woman did to them." 

"Ms. Frost, what do you think about that girl that attacked? Could she be a problem?" Jubilee asked. She figured as much, but how dangerous was the attacker. 

"Jubilee, I think that Rich can answer all of our questions about who ever she was." 

"Aura." Jubilee turned to see Sean was standing up. "Paige said one word when we found her, Aura. That must be the girl's codename, and her ability as well." 

"Are you saying she can, oh let's just say, knock out Wolvie at fifty paces and stop the rest of the X-Men without a sweat." 

Monet, who finally recovered from the punch, said, "Jubilee, nobody could be that powerful with an ability, and please stop referring to the X-Men like that." 

When Everett got up, he said, "She's on the right track, Monet. I was going to try and knock her out with her own ability. She has one heluva range with her ability. She sees it, she can attack it. Defensive abilities are worthless. Split second attacks might be all that stop her. That is probably how Paige got in the state she's in. And we all saw, and felt what she could do." 

Jubilee then noticed that Daria had walked over to Rich and Penny. She left the conversation that everyone was having over how to talk to Rich about this. When she approached, Daria was looking at Rich's face, and the photo she had of Rich. "He looks a bit different than in the photo," Daria said as Jubilee approached. 

Jubilee knelt down beside Daria. Daria had probably thought of Rich as the closest thing to family. "Rich has a unique ability that allows him to fully mimic a mutant he's near. After about a week here, you'll probably see him like this a lot. He and Penny are an item." 

"Penny? I thought this girl's name was Yvette." 

"Well, when Penny was brought here, she had been a victim of Emplate. Over the time she had been here, I gave her the nickname of Penny. When she was delivered, all we were told was the word 'Penance.' That became her codename." 

"How did you find out her name?" 

"That was due to Rich. Rich had been able to make contact with her. The first time that they met, Rich spoke in her native tongue. Afterwards, he taught her to speak in English through some psionic link, and they fell in love." 

"Jubilee, do you think Rich could help me with my ability?" Jubilee saw the look of concern in her eyes. The girl wanted to understand what she was. 

"Sure. He might be able to show you a way to use your ability to give you a cool hairdo." She said pointing out Daria's bald head. 

"Bastion insisted on that for all the girls. I don't know why, though." 

"If you ask me, Bastion appeared to be a bit too military. It was worse to discover he was a Sentinel, but then you do know what they say about the military." 

"What's that?" 

"Military Intelligence is two words that contradict each other." The two started to laugh at the joke, which was the most truthful thing about the military, until Monet, Everett, Sean and Emma came over. 

Sean looked at them and said, "Okay, lasses. Do ye want help us get them to the med unit." They both nodded and as Daria helped carry Rich, she helped carry Penny. 

* * *

Emplate sat in his chair at the top of the lighthouse. He was starting to feel drained. He needed to feed soon, or else he would be pulled into the Beyond. He was looking forward to supping on his favorite meal. He watched the door to his room open as D.O.A. stuck his head in the door. "Sir, Elane has returned." 

"Send her in, D." He couldn't wait any longer. 

"But.." 

"Send her in." D. left the door, and a second later, Elane walked in. Emplate noticed the state she was in. She had some burn marks on her face. He could already guess what had happened. "I take it that you were unsuccessful." 

She walked over to him and kissed him on his forehead. They were both evil, and they could do so much. Elane then said, "I have to admit, he has the luck of the Irish. He and Yvette managed to keep me hunting for them until everyone returned. Although, they were not as tough as I thought they would. Next time, I'm going to need to know more." 

Emplate sighed in frustration. "I need to sup or else I will go back to the Beyond. I was hoping to have both in my grasp." He looked at Elane for a moment. In that brief moment, he forgot about love and began to imagine how her ability would taste as it went through his system. But then he thought of the screams that Yvette made, when she believed him as someone to take care of her. True, he only saw Yvette as a meal, but Elane was more than that to him. She loved him. 

"Emplate, there is more than one way to attack Rich." He then noticed that she had stopped talking, and was looking in fright. 

He glanced and saw the hands of the dead reaching for him. He yelled out to her as he knew he was disappearing from her sight, "Tell me when I return, for I shall return." The hands pulled him into the Beyond, and his own private hell. 

* * *

When Paige awoke, she felt sore. She opened her eyes to discover that she was in the med-unit. She remembered what had happened to her. That girl, Aura, had attacked, and knocked her out. Then she heard Jono's voice, and Sean's, and she had warned them. She looked in the med-unit and to her left, she saw two other bodies laying in beds. One was Rich, the other was Yvette. The two were safe, but obviously injured. Aura must have caught them, but was probably stopped by everyone else. 

_"Hello, Sunshine."_ She turned and saw Jono standing there. She watched as he approached and took her hand. She was happy to see him, and smiled at him. As she smiled, he said to her, _"I'm sorry."_

"Jono, you don't have to be sorry about not being.." She stopped when he shook his head. She then realized that he didn't mean that, he meant Thanksgiving. "Ah'm sorry, too." She embraced him in a big hug. 

The moment was cut short when Sean came into the room. He looked at them and said, "Well, lass, ye had us worried for a moment. How ye feeling?" 

Paige released Jono and sat up in bed. "Ah think Ah feel worse than when Yvette ran amok when she first arrived." She was still a bit sore were Aura had put that pressure on her. 

"From what we got from the scans, yur waist had been crushed. Some of yur internal organs were bleeding, and ye had a couple broken ribs." As Sean had said that, she could swear that they were still broken. 

She turned to look at Rich and Yvette and asked, "What about them?" 

Emma Frost answered that question as she walked into the room. "Rich had some internal injuries, and when he was dropped, he sustained some trauma. Yvette was in a similar state, except her injuries weren't as bad." Paige was relieved to hear that, but she wondered how the two lasted so long. 

"Any idea of how they managed to last until you got back?" 

"Judging by the way some of the vents were opened, the two were scrambling around the vents," Emma said. 

"I think that might have been Rich's idea." Paige looked to see Jubilee entering the room, with a girl about Jubilee's age, bald and with a red dot on her forehead. Jubilee turned to the girl and said, "This is Paige Guthrie. She is the one with the disgusting ability." 

"It's useful, at least for defense," Paige responded instantly. 

"Didn't do you any good against Aura. By the way, this is Daria." 

Paige looked at the girl and said, "Welcome to the school. Ah'm sorry Ah didn't come to the airport, but..." 

The girl looked at her and said, "I know. Everybody has told me about Rich's dreams." The girl then approached Rich and looked at his face. She then noticed that Rich had started to have what appeared to be an epileptic seizure. Daria then yelled, "Something's wrong. Rich doesn't seem to be well." 

Paige yelled to Daria, "Step away from him, Daria. You are forcing your ability onto him." Daria looked as if she didn't understand. Sean ran over and pulled her away from Rich's bed. 

"Daria, did Jubilee tell ye that Rich mimicked mutant's abilities?" 

"Yes." 

"Well, how he reacts is determined by who closes the distance between him and the mutant while he is in a neutral state. You initiated the change, and something tells me that ye had some trauma in yur life." Paige looked at the girl and then noticed that Rich had calmed down. Paige could tell that he was starting to wake up, due to the fact that he started to move his head. He didn't sit straight up until Yvette screamed.

* * *

Rich jumped when he heard the scream. For a moment, he thought it was him screaming, partially due to a unique occurrence. Someone must have gotten near him in his state of unconsciousness, at he must no longer have had Yvette's ability. He sat up and opened his eyes. He was in the med-unit, and it was Yvette that was screaming. He saw Sean and Emma trying to calm her down, and he then saw Daria. She looked just as she did in the picture, but he knew something about her that worried him a little. He wondered if she was aware of the fact. He turned back to Yvette to see she was sitting up, but was wary of everything she saw. He looked at her and smiled and said, "I think we are safe, love." 

She relaxed and smiled at him, and then said, "Rich, I had the strangest dream. I dream that you weren't around, and Emma was handing me over to Emplate." 

Rich noticed the glance Sean gave Emma, and Rich said, "I don't think Emma would do that, unless she planned to make sure he didn't get you. She doesn't want to see any of us die." It was now that everybody was filing in. Apparently, everyone had an encounter with Elane. 

Sean looked at him and said, "Rich, lad, when were ye going to tell us about Aura?" Sean's tone made it evident that he was upset with Rich. But then, Rich couldn't blame him. 

Rich sighed and said, "Fine. If I am going to reveal this dark secret, then two other secrets must be revealed." He noticed a look of puzzlement on everyone's face, except Monet's. Her face was had a look on it that begged him not to say anything. Rich then said, "Daria, I don't know if you are aware of this, but you have the ability to alter your form to do a task." 

"I figured that out. Thank you, but why are you say this," she replied, very puzzled. 

"Daria, you joined Zero Tolerance before your abilities awoke. In the process, I think you underwent the first phase of becoming a Prime Sentinel. Your abilities alter you from your true form to that of metallic forms." Daria blinked and was speechless. 

"I didn't even know about that. And you learned all that when I got near you," she eventually said. 

Rich nodded. It was an odd experience, but if she did remember it, something in her made her forget about it. He then noticed Sean looking at him and said, "Then what's the other secret?" 

Rich let a smile cross his face. It was usually the same smile he had seen on Emma's face. He then mouthed the one word that Monet didn't want to hear. "Gemini." 

Rich watched as Sean turned to face Monet. It was obvious that Sean knew about the twin sisters, but did he know what Rich knew. Probably not. Rich watched as Sean said to Monet, "Well, lass, if you don't say anything about yur twin sisters, I have a feeling that Rich will tell us. Which is it?" 

Monet looked down at the floor. For the first time that Rich had met her, Monet was truly afraid. Monet finally said softly, "I am the twins." Rich saw the looks on everybody's eyes, including Daria's, and this was her first day here. 

Jubilee was the only one to say the next question. "How? I mean, you can't be the two of them, unless it is in your mind." There was a flash of light and then there were two eight year olds standing exactly where Monet stood. Rich truly understood now what the two were. 

Rich sat up and looked at them and said, "Tell me if I'm correct, girls, but you have the ability to merge into a new person. One that you pick what you like, but the only way to maintain the balance of who is in control at any given time is those autistic spells." The twins nodded. Rich then said, "So, Monet St. Croix is just a fabrication of your imaginations." 

The one girl said, "Yes and no, Richard." He was taken back by this. She then continued, "I am Monet St. Croix. My sister is Claudia." The other nodded and started to fall, as if weakened by the transformation, or she was dependant on the transformation. The two remerged into the familiar form of Monet St. Croix. 

Rich shook his head, to clear his mind. He then said, "Then all what you two did was merge together your abilities, knowledge, and age. But why did you keep that form if.." He then pieced together what he learned the second day he was at the school. The part that Emplate drained from Monet St. Croix was actually Claudia's powers. "Never mind, I know." 

"Know what?" Emma asked, looking as if she was going to scan his mind. 

"Claudia has become so dependant on being part of Monet that she probably won't survive for long alone," he lied. "Since the two of them are combined, it explained the strength, heightened senses. Over time, one forgets what it is like to live without a fallback." Monet gave him a small smile which communicated thanks. 

"Then, how did the ability to merge manifest so early in their life." Sean asked. 

"Maybe it was instinct of self-preservation. They didn't know at the time that blood relatives are immune to each other." Rich stopped that, and finally said, "Now, you all want to know about 'Aura'." 

Paige looked at him from her bed and said, "Ah think we should have known about her on the first day." 

Monet then said, "True. She seems to be quite a dangerous adversary." Rich shuddered, for he knew that she was dangerous. She was almost pure evil. 

Sean then said, "First of all, how did ye meet her, and what happened?" 

Rich hated bringing that memory back, but he had to. "First of all, Aura's real name is Elane. She probably still goes by Elane Bonstein, since that was my uncle's name. Elane was his second adopted child. He adopted her due to the fact that his adopted son wanted a sister. Elane came from a broken home. She was the one that broke it." 

Sean interrupted by saying, "So Aura is yur cousin?" He hated to ever think that Elane could be considered relation, but she did so good a job of disappearing that her last known name was Bonstein. 

"My whole family won't even say she existed," Rich continued. "It wasn't until my birthday that I met Elane for the first and last time. It had been obvious she didn't like anyone, but when I approached her, I saw her plans. She had planned to start with our family to control the world. I don't know how she would go about, but she was going to start with us. I told my uncle and all her plans came apart at the seams. She ran from the house that day, swearing vengeance on me. The police were informed of her, but no one could find her. I lived my life as I could. Eventually, I thought she forgot about me. When I came here, I left no trace of coming here." 

Emma then asked the question what was bothering him, "Then how did she find out you were here? I doubt she hacked into the school's files, since I have locked down the computers from hackers, and I have no records of the school's students in the computers at Frost Enterprises." 

Rich looked at everyone and said, "I knew she lied about that. If who I think helped her find out I was here, then she is dead by now." 

Monet said the name he suspected, "Emplate. If he did help her and she failed him, she is dead." 

Yvette then said, "But if Emplate helped her, she would have known about us." That puzzled him, too. 

Daria then said the one thing that made it fit together. "Maybe Emplate didn't tell her, or she was under instruction not to tell." Rich wondered how much she had learned about Emplate, or how much she had observed when Bastion was head of Zero Tolerance. 

Jubilee then said, "That makes sense. But the only way we will know the truth is if Aura attacks again. I don't think Emplate is the forgiving type." 

Rich looked at them all. He knew that what he would say would shock them, but it was true. "I hope he isn't the forgiving type. I wouldn't mind seeing her dead, for then I wouldn't have to worry anymore." At that everyone stopped asking about Elane, and he hoped that Aura was gone for good. 

End???? 


	28. Decisions

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Stranger And Stranger 

Decisions 

Godiva walked to the door of her museum when the bell rang. She was not expecting anyone to enter yet, since the opening date was not for a month yet. When she opened the door, a large crate was there with an envelope on it. She grabbed the envelope and read its contents. 

"Dear Miss Cale, I heard about your museum for the unusual and found something that might be of interest. This is a statue of a demon known as the Emplate. The creature fed off the living, making more like it. I figured it would be a great addition to your museum. Your contributor, -E" Godiva was excited at the prospect of this. Something to add to her gallery of demons and evils. She decided it was time to carry the crate over to the gallery. One thing she always prided herself on was her mutant ability. Her ability allowed her to use her hair as a weapon, to let it grow as short, or long, as needed. It was an extra limb, and with the strength to support a building. Her hair grabbed the crate and she carried it through the museum to the Gallery of Demons. 

She placed the crate down and opened it up. She looked at the thing. It appeared that the demon had an elephant's nose, and mouths on its hands. "What a hideous creature. No wonder it's a demon. Looks like something Giger would have dreamed up. When the museum opens, I'll have to show this to Rich." She checked her watch and notice that it was near lunch time. She decided to get the statue out of the crate after she got her lunch in. She and Kyuukai were having lunch together today.

* * *

Cartier St. Croix had to admit that Miss Cale had a unique idea for a museum, and her intentions were good. Ever since Onslaught, this town, the sole safehaven for mutants, was losing financially. Godiva Cale said that she was going to donate half the money the museum made to the town's defense fund. He was just heading to one of the exhibits, the one on Extraterrestrial Life, when Godiva ran up to him and said, "Mr. St. Croix, I would like to show you the recent addition I just received." 

"I guess there is no harm in seeing it." He had to admit that his curiosity was peaked when he first found out about this museum. He had found out about it on the Internet, and decided to contribute to the building. He followed Godiva through the exhibits until they reached the Gallery of Demons. This was one of her favorite exhibits, due to the statues. 

She opened the doors and said, "Are you sure you haven't seen it, because the crate has been removed." He noticed that she ran down the hall and stopped at a statue. When he finally saw what the statue was, his blood ran cold. It wasn't a statue, but all too real. She looked at him and said, "What do you think?" 

He turned to her. He knew what this was. He said, "Godiva, I want you to make a call to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. They have to get down here, and quickly." 

She looked at him, puzzlingly, and said, "Why? And you know if they do come, I need to send pendants for their security in the area." He remembered that it had taken some time to receive his pendant. The town protected it's people with the pendants. They allowed all mutants, and pro-mutant activists to have protection by the law. He hoped that it would not take too long, because he knew what was wrong. 

He looked at her and said, "Just call and tell them that I told you to call. Tell them there is a family problem down here. They will understand, and mention my name." She nodded and ran off, probably to a secret passage that led to her office. Cartier St. Croix looked at the statue and said, "Son, if you kill any mutant here, I will make sure that you can't feed off another mutant ever again." He turned and left the room. He could swear that he could hear Marius laughing at him. 

* * *

Sean Cassidy was in his office at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. He had asked Rich to help him with finding information of anything similar to Monet. "I hope ye know what ye are looking for?" 

Richard Cale, the oldest student, when it came to age, was always willing to help. "No problem, Sean. It is rare, although, that I am in a neutral state like this." 

Sean let a small laugh out and said, "Lad, ye and Yvette have been inseparable. Rich, I was also wondering, do ye have any other things ye should tell us about your family. I mean, it has been a week since Aura attacked." 

Rich replied, "I am on no ill terms with any of my cousins. There is only one other mutant cousin that I have and that is.." The ringing on Sean's vid phone cut the sentence short. 

Sean walked over to his vid phone, and hit the receive button. On the screen appeared a brunette, about eighteen years of age. The girl said, "Excuse me, is this the Xavier School?" There was a look of concern in her eyes, but it had the look of confusion with it. 

"Aye, this is the Xavier School. I'm Sean Cassidy, headmaster of the school." 

"My name is Godiva Cale, and I was told to contact you." 

Sean was about to say something, when he noticed Rich waving his arms. Sean realized that Godiva had no knowledge that Rich was at the school. He then said, "What do ye need?" 

"Mr. Cassidy, a recent arrival at my museum has caused one of my benefactors to urge me to call you. His name is Cartier St. Croix." 

Sean realized that that must be were Monet's father had disappeared to, but why the call. Sean decided to ask why Godiva Cale was calling the school. "Miss Cale, why call for us?" 

"Mr. St. Croix said it was a family problem." 

Sean had an idea what was going on. "We'll be there immediately." 

"I'm afraid that is not possible. Easton has some laws about mutants. To ensure the safety of mutants, all mutants, and pro-mutant supporters have to wear a pendant. Easton is the only mutant safehaven in the world, and we hate anyone who is anti-mutant. How many pendants will you need?" 

Sean thought it out in his head, one for him and Emma. One for each student. He looked at Rich, and Rich shook his head. Of course Rich wouldn't need a pendant, he was a citizen of Easton. He then said, "Fourteen, but you might want to rush them here. We will get there as soon as we can." 

"Thank you, sir. I shall send them out immediately." The line was disconnected, and Sean was looking at Rich.

* * *

Rich watched as the call ended. What has Godiva gotten herself into, but she didn't know about Emplate. His line of thought was cut short when Sean said, "Is Godiva a relation, or am I dreaming." 

Rich looked at Sean and said, "Godiva is my cousin. She is also Bastion's biological daughter, which means that Daria's past is hush hush." 

"But lad, how could she afford a museum?" 

Rich knew he had to explain that much. "The Cale family is a very well off family. When our grandfather passed away, each child and grandchild got a share of the inheritance. At the time, there were only four benefactors, my father, myself, Godiva, and her brother. This was all after Bastion faked his death, so he cheated himself out of a nice amount of money. Godiva said she was going to build a museum of stuff she loved in life." 

"But what about her, in general. Is she a mutant?" 

"Godiva is a mutant. Her ability is to manipulate her hair like Angelo manipulates his skin. Since we are relatives, she cannot use her hair on me. I once put my hand near her hair, and it just formed a pocket around it. I could not touch her hair." 

Sean then asked the question that Rich didn't want to hear. "Do you think that Emplate is at her museum?" 

Rich knew the answer to that. "If Emplate is there, which I believe he is, he is trying to capture me, and where I go, he knows that Yvette will follow." Rich knew that the way he said it, it sounded like a death sentence. 

Sean walked over to him, stopping just outside the radius that was the limits of Rich's powers. "What do you think will happen if we don't go?" 

Rich looked at Sean and said, "We should talk with Emma. This is something we need to talk about with her." Rich then went out the door and headed to her office, with Sean following him.

* * *

Emma Frost had been in a mad search for a while. She was trying to locate Cartier St. Croix. She called his Algerian residence, but they said he wasn't there. She tried all her connections and still couldn't locate him. She called Monet in, in the hopes that Monet could enlighten her on the location of her father. She looked at her secretive student and said, "Now, Monet, could you give me any idea on the location of your father?" 

Monet looked at her and said, "I don't know how to answer that, Ms. Frost. The truth is that when my father finds out about a project for a good cause, he tend to donate and help in person. I guess you want to ask him about the deal with 'us'." Monet was always a smart girl, but then, she had the minds of two girls. 

"Monet, it was almost a week since we have found out about you and Claudia. You hid the fact that you and Emplate were related. I want to know if there are any more surprises that your family has?" 

Emma knew Monet was about to continue when Sean and Rich entered the room. Rich walked over to the corner, but the way he carried himself suggested that something had happened in the family. She asked "Rich, what is wrong? Is something wrong in the family?" 

Instead of Rich answering, Sean answered by saying, "We just got a call from Godiva Cale." 

"Is that Rich's mother?" 

Rich spoke up for the first time since he entered the room. "Godiva is my cousin. This appears to be a big family problem." 

Emma was surprised by this, "Rich, did your parents tell her to call?" 

The answer surprised her, as well as Monet. "No. Besides, the family problem isn't a Cale problem, it's a St. Croix problem."

* * *

Monet realized what Rich was talking about. Ever since Rich joined the school, and started to date Yvette, her brother has made it part of his mission to get Yvette back, and in the process, capture Rich. Her mind was thinking quick and she said, "He must be using this to lure you into a trap, Rich." 

Rich glanced at her and said "I know. Emplate is trying to drag me off campus, away from the school grounds." 

"Then, we should get to the museum right away." 

She was surprised by what Rich said next. "Unfortunately, we can't go down to the museum until the pendants arrive." Why would Rich put his cousin at an unnecessary risk? 

"Rich, we could save her life before Emplate can try anything." 

Rich shook his head and said, "No, you don't understand the situation. If we left now, only I would be able to enter the town." He pulled out a pendant that she had never seen before. He then said, "You see this pendant. It is a pendant that every one in Easton wears. It is the symbol of the town, interlaced with the symbol of mutants. These pendants are worn to safeguard the good mutants of the town, as well as the people who support mutants. People who want to move there go through a screening process, to insure mutant safety. Tourist have to sign an agreement if they stay for longer than a day. That town is proud to be pro mutant, mainly because of it's four founding families have mutants in them. Any one of them can obtain pendants for guests at any time. I, as well as Godiva, am part of those families. I don't have the sway, and I don't want my family to know about Emplate, so we have to wait." 

Monet was totally appalled by the way he was thinking. He was willing to let his cousin become a meal for Emplate. She looked at him and said, "You can't be serious about that. He'll kill her, and you know that." 

"Listen 'girls'," he shouted, and she shut up. "I don't care what you think we should do, but remember this, if your brother is after me, he knows that killing Godiva is one way to insure him his death." Rich walked out of the room, but he said, "I don't know how much he is willing to do, but he has a smorgishboard in Easton. I hope that she sends those pendants immediately." 

As Rich left the room, Sean walked over to her and said, "If ye ask me lass, he treated ye a bit harshly." She knew what he was referring to, the girls comment. 

"It's alright. I just hope that those pendants arrive soon." Deep in thought, she knew that Rich must have a reason for his choice. She knew he must be right about Emplate, but how could her brother survive so long without supping. 


	29. Godiva's Museum

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Stranger and Stranger 

Godiva's Museum 

Yvette looked out the window of the plane. She marveled at the sight of flying above the world. The last time she was on a plane was when they went to Ireland, but this time was different. This time, she had Rich to keep her company. The two had sat together when they got on the plane. She knew that they were heading for Rich's hometown, but she was still unclear why. All she knew was that Rich had mentioned his cousin Godiva, and a possible threat of Emplate. This frightened her abit, but she wasn't too scared. Rich had been staying close to her since they left the school. She looked at him, took his hand, and said, "Will we meet your family?" 

Rich turned and looked her in her eyes. "Just Godiva. If Emplate is there, I don't want everyone finding out about him." 

"You're concerned about your cousin. Were you that close?" She noticed the worry in his tone. She recognized the tone of concern, as that of a sibling. 

Rich looked into her eyes and said, "Godiva was like a sibling to me. She was the one who fueled my interest in the paranormal, science fiction, and some of the artwork." 

Yvette then saw something in his eyes she was well aquainted with. She decided to mentally ask this, for it was probably best. {Rich, what are you afraid of?} 

He let a sad look cross his face. {Love, I'm afraid that Emplate is not alone in this. I'm afraid that he has Elane with him.} 

She started to get scared. More than a week ago, she and Rich were almost captured by Aura. They thought that Emplate had been using her to capture them. If she was still around, they were in worse trouble that ever. {Rich, do you think that he has enthralled her?} 

He tensed up when he said his next words. {I'm more scared that with the evil in her, that they fell in love.} She tensed up with that. Yvette thought of how nasty Emplate was before, but with Aura and Emplate together, were their days free numbered? 

She hugged Rich and said, {Please, don't ever let me be capture by them.} 

He returned the hug and said, {You promise the same.} They sat there, in the plane, scared that their days were numbered. Yvette looked over to her friends and realized how they must have appeared. It was known that they were in love, but sometimes it surprised everyone when they were like this.

* * *

Jubilee looked away from her friends for a moment. She had glanced over in Penny's direction, wondering if she was scared about Emplate. The fact that Penny had tensed up was not surprising, although she was less afraid of Emplate lately. She then noticed that both Rich and Penny were hugging, and tense. Rich was the major factor in her recovering from Emplate's control over her. Rich was also Penny's boyfriend, and it was obvious that Rich enjoyed her company. This time, however, Jubilee worried about her adopted sister, and for Rich. It was obvious that if Emplate was in Rich's hometown, and where his cousin resided, Emplate was planning to capture both Rich and Penny. Rich had shown no fear in going, but now both he and Penny were scared. Jubilee turned back to her friends and said, "I think something has the happy couple spooked." 

Everett, her boyfriend as of recently, glanced at them and said, "What do you think has scared them? The fact that Emplate is down there." She had to admit that had her abit spooked, but Everett had more to worry about. He had been like Emplate for a time. 

Angelo then said, "You don't think that part of it might be related to Aura?" Jubilee thought in horror at that. Could that have been how Emplate found out about Rich's cousin Godiva. 

Jubilee turned to the group and said, "If that is the case, do you think that they are afraid that their freedom is limited? I mean, if I knew that Sabertooth and Emplate teamed up, well.." 

"I doubt that is the case," Monet interrupted. Jubilee was trying to coupe with the fact Monet was not a sixteen years old girl, but two eight year olds. The girl, or girls, still had a lot to learn. "My brother never was the forgiving type." 

It was then that Jono decided to speak. _"Maybe, but what if he read the information. He does have that knowledge on sight. Maybe he found out about Godiva from that."_ Jono always had a troubled outlook on life, but this didn't have that tone to it. 

Paige then said, "Jono's right. If you think about it, Emplate might have even found out about Godiva from Rich himself." Paige had gotten back together with Jono after Aura attacked. She was injured, but all of the injuries had healed. 

Jubilee then said, "I don't know. Rich and Penny are scared of something. Besides, that is not the only problem." They all looked at her in puzzlement. She then continued, "If you all remember, Bastion was Rich's uncle, and apparently Godiva's father." 

Jubilee noticed that Monet understood quicker than anyone else, for she was the one who said, "What do we say about Daria?" They all glanced over to the new student. Daria, who had only been at the school a week, had learned to use her abilities to create an appearance of hair. Jubilee had to wonder at how they were going to explain how Daria joined the school.

* * *

Mondo looked at Daria and wondered what was bothering her. Ever since Rich said that they were heading for his hometown, Daria had a look of worry on her face. He walked over to her and said, "What is wrong?" He always worried when someone was worried. 

Daria looked at him in surprise. She then said, "I was just wondering about how Godiva will handle the deal with me. I mean, I am under the care of Rich, thanks to Bastion. Bastion was her father, and I don't think she will like that. Also, I'm part Sentinel. I might get a cold reception." 

Mondo put an arm around her and said, "Don't worry. The world has a way of having things work out. Besides, you are not a machine once you have a heart." 

Daria looked at him and smiled. "I guess your right about that, but that doesn't solve the problem of what to tell Godiva? Rich told me that he thought Bastion committed suicide, but he was shook up when he discovered the truth. How would Godiva react?" 

Mondo thought about it and said, "I don't know. She might be happy to have a little sister. I also wonder if that was why Bastion took care of you. He had a daughter, and he might have thought of you as his daughter." 

Mondo noticed that Daria then looked at him puzzlingly. "Mondo, can you read minds?" 

"Not that I'm aware of, why?" 

"Because, I was wondering if I should think of her as a sister of sorts." It was obvious that Daria was worried about this. 

He decided to comfort her worries. "I think Rich knows what to do."

* * *

Sean looked out into the cabin of the plane. He noticed how Daria was worried about something, possibly the fact that she was meeting Bastion's daughter. He saw how the little ones hadn't a care in the world. He notice the others talking, but his main concern was Yvette and Rich. He couldn't help but worry that he was delivering them into Emplate's clutches. He could tell they were scared. He was almost surprised when Emma walked up behind him and said, "Worried about Rich and Yvette?" 

He didn't look back, but he said, "Were ye reading my mind?" He sometimes wondered if she still did use her mind reading abilities. 

Emma put a hand on his shoulder and said, "No, because I'm worried about them, too. I can't help but think about that nightmare Yvette had. I hate to think that I would hand them over to Emplate, and here we are, possibly handing them to Emplate." 

Sean didn't want to think of that. "Ye have a way of looking at the negative, don't ye? We are heading to Easton to save Rich's cousin from Emplate. We won't let them get injured or threatened at all." 

"Then why are they so tense, Sean?" Sean knew that the two were scared of something, and since the past attack, he wondered if it had anything to do with Aura. 

"Emma, do ye think that they are afraid that Aura might be around?" He had to admit that knowing that Rich's evil cousin was willing to kill him was unnerving. He thought of the times that Juggernaut had attack the X-Men. He wondered if Aura was that bad. 

Emma looked at him and said, "If Aura is still around, the two of them are in worse trouble then we thought." 

"Emma, I'm not going to let anything happen to either of them." He knew he was in charge of all the children's safety, some of which already had legal guardians, or of age. 

"Rich is old enough to take care of himself, Sean." 

"But Yvette isn't. I missed out on raising me daughter, and I got a second chance in Yvette. I think that when we get back to the school, I'm going to adopt the lass." 

"Sean, I hope you get the chance." Emma then went to the cockpit. Deep inside, Sean hoped he would have the chance as well. 

* * *

It had been shortly before the plane had landed that Rich had over come his fear. He looked at Yvette and then they headed for the terminal. They all wore the pendants. Rich never thought he would need to show the pendant after he joined the school. It was harder for him to walk around the area, because many people knew that he was part of one of the founding families of Easton. They left the airport and went to the car rental. Rich walked up to the person behind the counter and said, "I would like to rent a van." In his mind, he was hoping the person wouldn't recognize him. 

The person smiled and said, "Anything, Mr. Cale. It is nice to see you back in the area." His family was one of the most famous in Easton. The people would know him. "Are you here to see the museum Lady Godiva is building?" 

Rich rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe that she had done that. He nodded and said, "Yes, and please refrain from informing anyone of my visit here. It was unexpected." 

The person looked at him, puzzled, and said, "I think I understand, but don't you want your parents, or Lady Godiva informed." 

"No. Now, could I have the keys to the van?" The person nodded and gave him the keys. They all left the place and went to the van. Rich checked it over and saw it had enough room for everyone. He unlocked all the doors, and then tossed the keys to Sean. "You better drive. I could never handle a van." 

Sean looked at him and said, "She is known as Lady Godiva. The lass didn't do anything like the real Lady Godiva, did she?" 

Rich notice that Angelo stopped in his tracks when Sean said that. Rich sighed and said, "No." Angelo looked a bit disappointed at that, but Rich saw Angelo get re-interested at the next statement. "I called Godiva that when I caught her skinny-dipping." 

Paige, who was getting in the van, was almost shocked at that and said, "I bet she was shocked at that." 

"It was a shocker to both of us. I reacted by cracking a joke, to let her know that I saw her. She would have totally been shocked if it was someone else entirely." 

Angelo let a smile cross his face and said, "I bet it was an interesting sight." 

Rich just looked at Angelo and said, "If it were you, she might have something to worry about." 

Angelo got a bit cocky and said, "I bet she might be interested in me." 

Rich looked at Angelo and said, "I'll take that bet. If you fail, you stop smoking for a week." 

Angelo grinned and said, "And if I succeed, I get a look at some of those videos in your collection." Rich shook Angelo's hand. Rich couldn't help but think of the easy bet he had just won. 

Sean looked at them and said, "Alright you two, get in the van." Rich climbed into the van and noticed that Yvette had saved him a seat. He quickly scurried over to the seat and sat down next to the light of his life. He then opened a suitcase that he had with him.

* * *

Monet noticed that when the van was moving, Rich had opened a suitcase. In it was a black coat and hat. She watched as Rich started to put the hat and coat on. She wondered why Rich was doing this. Was this to hide from Emplate? She turned to Rich and said, "Why are you putting those on?" 

Rich turned to face her as he was putting clip on sunglasses on his glasses. "I want to surprise Godiva. First of all, she doesn't know I go to the school. Second, she will know something is up when she sees fifteen people. Last, her attention will be drawn to something that would be in her range of interest, like a MIB." 

Monet was abit puzzled by this. She had never heard that term before, and she want to know what it meant. "What is an MIB?" 

Rich sighed and said, "MIB stands for 'Men In Black'. Since the 1950's, anytime a UFO, or something strange happened, they would appear. Sometimes alone, sometimes in groups, but they would tell you what you saw. If you had evidence, they would confiscate it and you would never know. Godiva claims that she once encountered one long ago." 

"I see." Monet thought that her family, as dysfunctional as it was, was not as strange as Rich's family. 

"Well, we are approaching Easton. Rich, which exit do ye suggest?" Sean said, as Rich placed the hat on his head. Monet had seen signs advertising the arrival of the museum, saying that it was in the center circle of Easton 

Rich said, "There is an exit for Downtown Easton, just past Cemetery Curve. Just take it slow around the curve. It didn't just get that for the fact that it is near a cemetery." Monet had to wonder about the town more and more. As they started to enter the city limits of the town, Monet saw a sign for another museum. This one really caught the heart of who she was, an eight year old girl. 

She grabbed at Rich's coat and said, "Rich, I was just wondering about..." She didn't have to finish her sentence. Rich looked out the window and let out a laugh. 

Rich then said, "Alright, before we leave Easton, maybe we might be able to check out the Crayola Factory." 

Emma, who turned to face Rich, said, "Why would a big name like Crayola open a museum like that here?" 

Rich laughed again and said, "Because, Binney and Smith, creator of Crayola, is based in Easton. Crayola is the one thing Easton has going in its favor to draw in tourist trade." Rich stopped speaking as Sean pulled off into Easton. It didn't take long until they stopped in the Center Circle. They all got out of the van and walked over to the museum. Rich and Yvette stayed together. Rich didn't want to leave himself open for Emplate to force his ability on him, at least that's what she thought. Monet walked over to the group and Sean rang the doorbell. 

In a matter of moments, the door opened and a brunette girl, about eighteen was standing there. She had a figure that would have made her a model. She then said, "I take it that you are all from the school." She looked over everyone and then had a puzzled look on her face. She noticed that there was an odd man out. Her attention immediately focused on Rich. She was going to get a surprise.

* * *

Godiva looked over the students and made the count a second time. There were fifteen people here, but she only sent fourteen pendants. She looked at the one person who drew her attention, a man in black. She walked over to the person and said, "I figure that you must be the odd man out, sir. Who are you?" She grabbed the hat and pulled it off. The person's head was down, so she couldn't see the face. 

"Take a wild guess," said a familiar voice to her. The head lifted up and she was look eye to eye of her cousin, Rich. He just smiled and said "Surprise." 

She gave her cousin a big hug and said, "Did they get you from college to guide them around?" She looked at her older cousin and said, "I mean, a mutant like you would be perfect to call in to show them here." 

Rich surprised her when he said, "Godiva, my cousin, I would like to introduce you to my classmates at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." 

"When did you join the school? I mean, you never spoke of it before." 

"After the whole deal with Onslaught, I thought it would be best to join the school. After what I have seen over the past months, I'm glad I did. Now, would you like me to introduce my school mates." She had been looking over some of them, and had to admit, if she didn't have Kyuukai, she would be after some of them. 

"Alright, I want to know who everyone is?" Although she already had seen Sean Cassidy. "But first, let's all get inside." Rich nodded and she lead everyone in. 

When they all got in, Rich started out with Sean in the introductions. "This is Sean Cassidy, head of the school, and leader of Generation X. He is master of the sonic scream." 

She remembered hearing his voice and said, "Let me guess, Codename Banshee." He nodded and she then said, "I remembered that you were Irish." She then looked at the woman next to him. Mid twenties, looked like she could have any guy at her side, especially with her outfit. 

Rich then said, "This is Emma Frost, owner of the school grounds, and is a telepath." 

Godiva looked at the woman and said, "Let me guess, she has an account at Fredrick's Of Hollywood." 

The woman looked at her, obvious upset, and said, "Be careful child, I don't take insults kindly." This woman didn't scare her. But she decided to turn her attention to the first couple there. The boy appeared to have half his face covered, and the girl was about seven years behind him in age. 

Rich walked over to them and said, "This happy couple is Paige Guthrie, or Husk, and Jonothan Evan Starsmore, a.k.a. Chamber." Each nodded and then Rich said, "Paige has the ability to rip off her skin, revealing a new form underneath, and Jono has a Bio-psionic blast that keeps him alive. The blast that formed that chamber took out half his face." 

"Ouch. Well, I hope you are alright with it." When he nodded, she could tell that he was still upset about it. She then turned to the next couple. The boy looked like he was laid back in life, but the girl looked worried. She was worried about something. Her hair had a metallic color to it. 

Godiva watched as Rich walked over to them and said, "This is Mondo and Daria. Mondo is what is described as an omnimorph, and Daria can morph herself into anything, even to split apart into a swarm of bugs. Due to recent circumstances, she is Sean's adopted daughter." Rich wasn't facing her, but was facing Sean when he nodded. 

Sean then said, "That is correct. Recent circumstances led me to adopt Daria. The lass had lost her family when Sentinels attacked her town." 

"Well, that won't happen here. Easton has a defense system that takes out any sentinel in a 50 mile radius." She turned to the next couple. It was an African-American boy, and an Asian-American girl. They looked like they made a cute couple. She looked at them and said, "And who are these two?" 

This time, the Asian spoke to reply. "My name is Jubilation Lee, Jubilee to my friends, and this is my boyfriend, Everett Thomas." The girl was certainly proud of the fact that she had a boyfriend. 

Rich then said, "Jubilee generates fireworks, while Everett has an aura that can mimic mutant abilities, so they call him Synch." 

"Does that work on your ability?" He nodded and she turned her attention to the next people in line. They were three little boys. One was green, one was pink, and the last looked like a normal boy. She could swear that the green and pink ones looked like something from her one exhibit, but the third looked familiar for a reason. 

Rich then said, "The green one is Leech, and his name explains his ability. The pink one is Artie. He can't speak, but he can project images. The other is Franklin Richards." That's why he looked familiar. "He can alter reality." 

"That explains why he looked familiar to me. I followed all of the happenings of the Fantastic Four, up to the Onslaught incident. I hope you have gotten over that." He nodded and then she faced the next person in the line-up. She automatically knew who she was. "You must be Monet, Cartier's daughter. He mentioned that you were at the school." 

Monet nodded and said, "Yes. I was a little bit surprised that my father was here." Godiva looked at Monet and guessed that she was about sixteen. Rich must be in love with her. He also was concerned about age difference, and she was the oldest of all of the girls. 

Godiva turned to face the last two in the group. The girl was a redhead, while the guy had a grayish color. Rich then said, "Last but not least, I would like to introduce you to Yvette, and Angelo. Yvette has the ability to tense her skin to a diamond sharpness, while Angelo has the ability to extend his skin." 

"Well, I have met all of you, so allow me to tell you of my museum. This museum is a tribute to all things that are unusual in the world. I have a display for Extraterrestrials, Lost Civilizations, Ghosts, and Monsters. I even have an exhibit on things that do exist. For easy access, all rooms are attached by secret passages. The passages also lead to the rooms where you will be staying." She had watched as Rich had moved back over to where Yvette, Monet, and Angelo were standing. 

Afterwords, she noticed Angelo looking at her. He then approached her and said, "Ms. Cale, I would have to say that you are a lovely sight." He was hitting on her. She then noticed Rich was trying to stifle a laugh. He had set the guy up. Nobody had known about that one little fact about her. She was going to show them the truth, freak out some people as well. She remembered an agreement she and Rich made long ago, so she decided to approach Yvette at the right time.

* * *

Emma watched as Angelo tried hitting on Godiva, and she noticed that Rich was getting a laugh out of it. She heard the bet those two had made, and now Rich was trying keep himself from laughing. She then heard Godiva say to Angelo, "I'm sorry, but your not my type." 

Angelo, looking a bit embarrassed, said, "Then, what exactly is your type, Godiva?" 

"Well," Godiva said, and she started to walk over in Rich and Yvette's general direction. Emma started to wonder if Godiva's ideal man was someone like Rich. It could be that, for she doubted that Godiva was focusing on Yvette. As Godiva got closer, Rich walked right in front of her. Why would Rich do that? 

Rich looked at her and said, "Remember our agreement?" 

Godiva, looking puzzled, said, "I remembered. That is why I was walking over here." 

"You are jumping to the wrong conclusion. I have a girlfriend, and guess who it is?" Emma watched as Rich tensed his skin. She then saw the shock on Godiva's face. This must have been a surprise to Godiva. 

Godiva looked at him and said, "You and Yvette?" He nodded and untensed his skin. But what did Rich mean about their agreement. 

Rich then said, "Besides, I haven't told them about that one little item about you." Emma had a feeling some sort of surprise was coming. 

She turned to Rich and said, "Rich, I hope you know that I don't like surprises." 

All Rich did was laugh, but it was Godiva who spoke up. "Maybe I should explain about the agreement. A couple of years ago, Rich was seeing a girl and I scared her off." 

Emma looked at Godiva and said, "How did you do that?" Emma was starting to wonder if she knew what Godiva was going to say. 

Godiva finished her statement. "I was hitting on her. You see, I'm gay." Almost everyone was shocked. Emma noticed that Angelo had let his jaw drop, literally. Rich had conned the con-man. Yvette was abit in shock, and the kids were obviously bewildered. 

Emma then realized what she was wearing. She then said to Godiva, "Miss Cale, I want you to realize that I am not of that walk in life." She thought that Godiva was sizing her up earlier. 

Godiva looked at her and said, "Don't worry, Miss Frost, I prefer redheads. Besides, I prefer an all natural woman." The girl just made a mistake. 

Emma looked at Godiva and said, "You have made a big mistake. Do not insult me, for I am a person who you shouldn't cross." She let a psi-bolt loose and hit Godiva. She then expected Sean to say something, but she then realized that she had to worry about Rich. 

She was amazed at the speed that Rich knocked her down and had her pinned to the ground. She tried to stop him mentally, but remembered that Rich had Yvette's abilities, and their psionics were in Yvette's native language. Rich held her arms above her head, and with claw poised over her chest, he said, "Do that again, and we shall see how right she is?" Emma had forgotten that Rich was highly protective of his cousin. His biggest concern was to save her from Emplate, and now Emma had just put herself into a very dangerous situation. 

Godiva ran over to Rich and grabbed his clawed hand, and did not get cut. She looked at him and said, "Rich, I'm alright. I deserved it. Just calm down. That Cale temper of ours can be a curse." Emma was still surprised that Godiva was not injured by the claw and then remembered one thing. It may have been Yvette's ability Rich had, but it was Rich's ability that he had been using, and Godiva was immune to it. 

Emma got up and said, "I'm sorry about lashing out at you, and thank you for stopping Rich." She was amazed that Yvette didn't stop him. She turned quickly to Yvette and said, "Why didn't you stop him?" 

Yvette just looked at her and said, "He said that he was just going to scare you. You know that he doesn't want to injure anyone since Black Tom attacked." Emma then thought about hitting herself for not remembering. 

Godiva had a puzzled look on her face and asked, "Who is Black Tom?" Emma just looked at Rich and saw his face. She saw all the despair that hit him after that incident. Godiva didn't need to know what happened with Bastion. 

It was Sean that said, "Black Tom was my evil cousin, until Rich killed him. It was in a fit of anger when Black Tom attacked Yvette." Emma then wondered if Godiva had that same anger. 

Godiva looked a bit disgusted when she heard that, but then Emma saw a smile cross her face. Godiva then said, "I think I should show you why I asked for you to come here, and my significant other, Kyuukai Hisui, has arrived to show the way." They all turned, and Emma saw a petite figure with red hair standing at the door. The woman was Asian-American. Godiva then said, "Kyuukai is also a mutant." 

Emma wondered what this girl's ability was, but then she was distracted by something. She noticed that Paige had started to act rather passionately towards Jono. It appeared to be more than the usual that she had seen. Paige was whispering in Jono's ear and Jono appeared shocked. _"Love, we can't do anything like that here."_

Paige had a look in her eyes as if she didn't care. Paige then said, "Ah don't care." Something was going on, and this Kyuukai was the center of it. She then noticed that Rich was glaring at Godiva. 

All of a sudden, a whip of brown hair lashed out and hit Kyuukai. She yelped and Godiva said, "Do you mind? We're suppose to be going together. Now apologize." This was going to be an odd visit.

* * *

Kyuukai had looked over the crowd when she entered the room. When she saw Godiva's cousin, she knew that it was going to be a strange visit. She had seen the young blond and started wondering about the girl. She realized that her ability had locked onto the girl when she started pawing over the man with her, but it was when Godiva whipped her and told her to apologize, that she was surprised. She just looked at her and said, "You didn't have to do that." 

Godiva just looked at her and said, "If I didn't, Rich would have done something. At least they know our abilities." 

Kyuukai then heard the girl say, "Did Ah just say all that in public?" She looked a bit embarrassed. 

Kyuukai then said, "I'm sorry, but my ability is making one act on their desires. I basically remove their inhibitions. I don't know the limitations of my powers yet, but so far, I can only strip away the inhibitions. I have no idea what their desires are. By the way, my name is Kyuukai Hisui." 

The girl then said, "Ah accept your apology. Ah guess Ah can't totally blame you for an accident." It was then that Godiva introduced her to everybody. The girl's name was Paige, from what she had learned. 

After the introductions were done, Kyuukai said, "Well, follow me, and I shall explain the museum's exhibits." She led them all through a doorway, and they entered the presentation theater. "This room is the presentation theater. This is were visitors can learn about the museum and the exhibits. Just up there is the projection room, and in a secret passage, is the clock and security cameras." 

Sean Cassidy looked up and said, "Is there cameras in every room?" She nodded and a look of relief crossed everyone's face. Ever since the statue arrived, strange things had started to happen. 

Kyuukai led them to the next room and she saw the awe on Rich's face. It was no secret that Rich had loved mythology, of any culture. "This room is devoted to the myths and legends of many cultures." 

Rich just looked around the room and said, "This is fantastic. How did you get some of these items." 

Godiva just smiled and said, "I have my sources." She then let out a little laugh and they proceeded to the next room. Kyuukai took the lead again and led them all into the next room. It was a room lined with statues of animals. 

Jubilee looked around the room and said, "What is this, a room for monsters?" 

"In a way. This room is devoted to all the strange creatures in the world. Some real, some possibly fictional," Kyuukai said as she walked over to the large model of a sea going dinosaur. 

She noticed that the gentleman named Jono said _"That's Nessie, isn't it?"_ She was amazed that the British native knew of the creature, but then everyone had heard of Nessie. 

"That is the Loch Ness Monster, alright. Just one of the strange creatures in here. We have a model of Bigfoot, one of the Yeti, a stuffed version of the little know bird-eating spider." She looked at Rich, who she figured would freak. He was amazingly calm. 

Godiva looked at him and said, "What happened to your arachnophobia, cousin?" 

Rich looked at her and said, "I found something far worse to fear." Kyuuakai watched the look on her lover's face. Nothing ever scared Godiva that much. She knew that something had to be that bad to make Rich forget his worse fear. 

Kyuukai took a deep breath and said, "Maybe we should continue to the next room." She lead them through the displays and into the next room. This room would be the favorite of many people who would visit the museum. She then said, "This room is dedicated to UFO's, and all related phenomena." 

The boy known as Everett walked over to one of the displays and said, "What is Will Smith doing here?" 

"Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are working on a project right now. It is entitled 'Men In Black', and we even have a demo of a song that Will is planning to sing. Godiva donated some money to the movie, in exchange for their likenesses in the museum." Everett appeared to be in awe, as was most of the others. Ms. Frost appeared to be a bit disgusted with what was said. 

Ms. Frost looked at Godiva and said, "You mean to say that you donated money just for that." Godiva nodded and Emma replied, "She has the mind of a business owner." 

Sean just rolled his eyes and said, "Let's just hope the Hellfire Club doesn't try to recruit her." Kyuukai watched as Emma shot him a glance. She couldn't tell if it was malicious or what. 

Kyuukai then said, "Maybe we should head to the next room, it has an exhibit close to our town here." She noticed that Godiva nodded, and a glance at Rich led him to nod as well. The whole group proceeded to the next room, and as they entered, a loud noise hit everyone's eardrums. 

Kyuukai watched as Rich turned to Sean and said, "Your namesake is greeting us, Sean. You want to tell it to shut up." Sean must have seen Rich's humor for some time and just rolled his eyes, but Kyuukai wondered what Rich meant. 

Godiva walked over to a switch, and killed the noise and said, "Kyuukai, Sean's mutant codename is Banshee. He's Irish, and has a sonic scream." She had not been told about all their abilities. She only knew of Rich's abilities. 

Sean looked about and said, "What the blazes is this room, lass?" 

Godiva answered the question for her. "This room is set aside for Ghosts and Hauntings. It is very dear to all people of this town, due to the hauntings of this town's buildings. In here, we have examples of ghosts, such as Banshees, Poltergeists, Dopplegangers, Wraiths, and such. We even have pictures and histories of famous haunted sites." 

Kyuukai noticed that Jonothan looked at the one site. _"I knew the tower was haunted, but not this haunted."_

Jubilee, who was looking at another picture, said, "I can't believe that the house from 'The Amityville Horror' actually exists, and actually is haunted." 

Rich, who was looking over the display for the interior rooms, said, "The first film is probably the only truthful one. It followed the life of the people who owned the house for only a month." 

Godiva nodded and said, "That is not the only film that made it into here. There is even a picture from 'The Entity' here." 

Rich turned and said, "No kidding. I remember that from 'Unsolved Mysteries'. Do you want to continue showing us the museum?" 

Kyuukai watched as Godiva went to the door to the next room, and they moved to the next. In the room were wax figures. Kyuukai then said, "This room is dedicated to those people who have mystery surrounding their names, such as John Kennedy, Jimmy Hoffa, and Billy the Kid." 

She watched as the little ones ran over to the figure of Billy The Kid. Even after he had been dead for so many years, there was still the charisma of being like the famous outlaw. She then watched as Franklin walked over to Godiva and said, "Will my parents be featured here?" Godiva nodded and the boy seemed Okay. Kyuukai knew that Franklin was referring to his parents and family, The Fantastic Four. She decided that it might be best to move on to the next room. 

She opened the door to the next exhibit. The recording hit their ears and Kyuukai figure that their skin was crawling in fright. "This room is dedicated to the Inhumanities that people devised to punish others, such as the Rack, Gallows, and other such devices." She turned and noticed something shocking. 

The girl named Yvette had turned red, and her hands had turned into claws. Rich had done something similar, but was holding her, saying, "It's alright. These devices are non-functional. They can't hurt you." 

Godiva then had to say the words they really didn't need to here. "Actually, Rich, the devices are functional." 

He turned to face her and said, "What?!" 

"All the devices are functional. It was Kyuukai's idea." 

Kyuukai realized what was going to happen. Off the top of her head, she said, "It's for display only. We show people how these devices work." Rich just eyed her suspiciously. She started praying that they bought the excuse. 

She watched as Rich walked over to the replication of 'The Rack'. His claws went right for the chains. She hoped that he wouldn't ruin the display. The chains were made out of a special metal, strong enough that Godiva's hair couldn't break it. She sighed in relief as the claws didn't cut the chains. It was then that she realized the relief was the give away, as Sean said, "My God, how strong are those chains on there?" 

Rich, who returned to Yvette's side, said, "Strong enough that Godiva can't break them. You two use this room for other reasons, I take it." 

Godiva instantly spoke up, trying to appear innocent. "It was Kyuukai's idea. You have no idea what I go through." Kyuukai could tell Rich was not buying the story. She could also see that Angelo started to get a unique look on his face. 

Rich looked at Yvette and somehow, Kyuukai thought, the two spoke. Rich then said, "Can we move to the next room? The room is making Yvette upset." She wondered what had happened to Yvette to make her scared of this. 

They entered the next room. There was a warm reddish glow about the room and Godiva said, "This room is dedicated to the theories that the Earth is hollow. You will see references to the beliefs of beings in the Inner World. Also, there is a reference to Jules Verne in here." 

They all looked through the room and headed over to the next door. Kyuukai decided to put in her part here. "This wall here is where guests can leave a marking like in 'Journey to the Center of the Earth.' Sign if you want." Nobody did, but it was worth a shot. They then entered the next room. In the room was the image of a ship, and many clocks, with time changing at different speeds. "This is devoted to the infamous Philadelphia Experiment. In many conspiracy theories, people believed that it worked. It was an attempt at time travel." 

"Well, we know how it turns out," said Jubilee. 

Godiva was a bit puzzled by that remark. "How is that?" 

"Well, when I was with the X-Men." There was a joint groan from almost everyone, but Jubilee continued, "There was this guy from the future called Bishop. He came back in time to stop the traitor to the X-Men." 

"Oh," was all Godiva said. She then continued to the next door. Before she opened the door, she turned and said, "What you are about to enter is a recreation of history. You will see examples of some of the most unique civilizations, and lost, in the world." She flung open the doors. 

Kyuukai noticed the awe on everyone's face as they gazed at the exhibits. Monet said, "Mon Dieu, Easter Island and Stonehenge are here." 

Mondo then said, "Egypt and Maya, what do that have in common." 

It was Daria, the girl with the silver hair that answered the question. "It is believed that the two civilizations shared alot in common." Kyuukai then watched as Daria walked over to the exhibit on Atlantis. "Is there any proof that Atlantis exists?" 

Kyuukai replied, "There is none that says it doesn't, although there are two proposed sites. One is in the Bermuda Triangle, while the other is in the Mediterranean." She walked to the next door and continued, "And since we are talking about the famous Triangle, here it is." She opened the doors, and entered the room. 

Filling the room were pictures of famous disappearance in the triangle. Some of the theories, and a working display of what probably happened in the Triangle. Standing at the display was Cartier St. Croix, one of the benefactors of the museum. He turned to face them all and immediately said, "I see that you got here alright. Hello, Monet." Monet nodded and Cartier said, "Maybe they should see why they were called here to help?" 

Kyuukai was puzzled by Cartier's actions since the statue arrived, but he said he had reasons for them. She and Godiva went to the last door and opened it. They led the group into the room and Godiva said, "This room is dedicated to all the Demons that are in the legends. Cartier told us to call when the latest one arrived. It is called ..." Kyuukai noticed that Godiva trailed off in her sentence, but then she noticed that Rich and Yvette were still at the door to the room, same as back in the Inhumanities room, except the skin was a darker hue of red. 

Sean just said, "It seems to be as we feared." Kyuukai had a bad feeling about how this day would go. 


	30. Trapped

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Stranger And Stranger 

Trapped 

Emplate stood there watching the whole scene unfold. He knew that he was safe, and the plan was working. Being in Godiva's museum did bring Rich down, and Penance was by his side. He saw how scared the two of them were. They were not ready for something like this. Although, it had helped his plans to know his father was here. He could hide better from his father, now. He needed to plan everything according to what they were going to do. He decided to listen to the conversation. He noticed that Jubilee motioned Rich and Penance to move forward, in a reassuring way. Godiva then said, "What is going on?" 

His father then said, "Godiva, this statue you received is not a statue. It is a mutant that feeds off other mutants." 

Godiva just looked at him and said, "How do you know this, Cartier?" 

Emplate heard his own sister answer that. "Because, Emplate is our family." 

Godiva was shocked. It took her a few minutes to recover from that. In the meantime, he noticed that Rich and Penance were constantly watching him. They were watching for movement. He wasn't going to move, due to the ace up his sleeve. He then heard Godiva say, "You mean that this is a vampire of sorts." 

His father then said, "He probably came here due to the high number of mutants in the area." 

He watched as Rich and Penance started to back away. Sean Cassidy then said, "Nae, he came here for a different reason." They all knew the reason he was there. 

His father was confused by this, and Godiva then said, "If he's not here to feast, then why come here?" 

Monet answered that question. "You are bait, Godiva." 

"What?" 

"My brother came down to your museum to lure Rich down here. After discovering Rich's ability, Emplate decided to use that ability to make Rich an Emplate. His interest in Rich increased as Rich and Yvette started falling in love. He was probably hoping that Rich and Yvette would come down alone. He plans on capturing Rich and Yvette." Emplate knew his sister was smart, but he was always surprised at how well she knew him. 

He watched as Godiva turned to Rich and said, "You just seem to make enemies, don't you. First was Elane, then Davis, and now this monstrosity." He noticed that Rich flinched at the second name. Who was this person? 

Apparently, the question was on everyone's mind. Rich appeared to tense even more, and Jubilee said to Penance, "Ask Rich who Davis is?" 

Finally an answer arrived from Godiva, "Davis was Rich's best friend, until he revealed that he was a mutant criminal, and that is all I will say. Rich hates that and doesn't ever talk about it." He watched as Penance nodded. Apparently, Rich had told her most of his deep dark secrets. 

Monet finally said, "Is he hunting you down? I mean we should be warned if he is going to attack the school." 

Rich finally untensed and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Shut up! At least Davis is imprisoned. You two never said anything about that smeghead of a brother that you have when you arrived at the school. Everyone has told me that." Emplate was both insulted and intrigued by the comment, as was his father. He then realized that Monet wasn't Monet, but both Monet and Claudia. This changed everything in his mind. Now, he couldn't kill Monet, at least not yet.

* * *

Cartier was shocked by what he had just heard. He knew the truth about Monet, but how did they find out. He told Monet never to mention that. He turned to Monet and said, "How did they find out about that?" 

He saw that Monet felt ashamed. He had a feeling that she had been put in a situation where she had no choice but to tell. The fact that Richard Cale shouted it meant he must have found out. Monet confirmed his theory when she said, "Rich found out about the twins. After Elane attacked the school, I told about it and he told about her." 

He watched as Godiva gasped. She then said, "Elane attacked the school, and you survived. Rich, you are lucky." Whoever this Elane was, she must be evil. 

Monet then said, "We had thought that Emplate had enlisted her help to capture Rich and Yvette. She failed and believed dead." Cartier didn't think his son would forgive that failure. 

He then went on to the more important question. "How much do they..." He couldn't get the rest out because he noticed that Godiva was starting to collapse. Kyuukai had caught her, but he had a bad idea of what was happening. 

Kyuukai looked at everyone and said, "She's been feeling fatigued lately, but I don't know why?" He had an idea and it confirmed his suspicion about the statue. Before he could say anything, he saw Rich run toward the statue with claws ready.

* * *

Rich was upset. He ran straight for the statue with claws ready. He was going to rip Emplate to shreds. Emplate had been feasting on his younger cousin. Just as he was going to leap at Emplate, Monet jumped in his way. Whose side was she on? Monet then said, "Rich, you are just giving Emplate what he wants. He will grab you and disappear with you in tow." The rage died down and he nodded. He slowly stepped back and went over to Yvette. He was going to be sure that Emplate wouldn't catch him in a neutral state. 

He then said to Godiva, "Can you get us to where the rooms are, without entering the passageways by this room?" He noticed that she was having trouble standing up under her own strength. Emplate would pay for this. 

Godiva just looked at Kyuukai and said, "Lead the way." They all left the room, and in the Bermuda Triangle room, Kyuukai hit some buttons on the UFO replica. Soon a door opened and they stepped through it. 

As they walked through the corridor, Sean said something that made Rich wonder. "Godiva, what is the security system like, I mean for the passages, and rooms." 

Godiva replied in detail. "When museum door's close, the secret passages are sealed off, and the trigger to open them changes from one item to another in each room. To get into the sleeping area, one has to solve about three puzzles, without screwing them up. The doors are closed when we activate the switches up here. As for the one exhibit, we have passcodes on the doors, that only Kyuukai and myself know. That room is not connected to a secret passage." 

Rich then said, "Perfect for you two." He smiled as she gave him a nasty look. Then he said, "What if a door is kept open?" 

"Unlikely, at 5:00pm, the normal museum closing time, the camera's lock on the secret doors. If it is ajar, it focuses and sees if anything is there. If nothing is there, then the door is malfunctioning. Also remember that these doors and wall were built to withstand the strength of my hair." Rich had a sinking feeling in his gut, but wouldn't admit it. They continued down the passages and up some steps. At the top of the steps was a landing, leading to another set of steps. They followed her up into a larger foyer. There were rooms all around the area. Godiva then said, "This is the main living area. It is off limits at all times, except right now. Once everyone is in here, Kyuukai and I activate the doors, and the doors at the bottom of the steps close." She then looked at him and said, "Now why did you lash out like that?" 

Everett answered the question for him. "Rich thinks that Emplate has been feeding of you. The thing is, there is usually a mark and I don't see any." Everett was right. Rich didn't see any either, and then he remembered something. 

Rich looked at his cousin, and in his best monotone voice said, "Do you still use your favorite sleeping attire?" He could tell she understood that this was serious. 

She looked at him and said, "Yes, and with the Ben Stein voice, I can tell that you don't mean it as a joke." Everyone looked puzzled by this, and she said, "Science teacher on 'The Wonder Years.'" They then understood what she meant. He could tell that she was worried as well. She looked at him and said, "You don't think that this Emplate might have..." 

He knew she didn't want to say the rest. To her, it was a disgusting though in the first place for a man to see her like that, more less touch her. Rich could only say one thing, and that might not be the best thing for her to hear. "The only way to tell is for you to be examined, and only a few of us here knows what to look for."

* * *

Angelo had put two and two together when he heard all that, and the tone of Rich's voice. Now this would be perfect payback for the bet. He had a feeling that when Rich asked the question about sleep, that Godiva preferred to be au natural. This, of course, meant that Emplate could have put the bite on her anywhere. Angelo then said, "Well, if that's the case," 

Rich finished the sentence, "I will check her out." Angelo's was almost ready to shout when Rich said, "I'm the only one who can do it." 

Emma asked, "Why?" Angelo wanted to ask the question as well, but then he would have received looks from everyone. 

Rich, keeping a calm look on his face, said, "One, we need someone who knows the marks of Emplate's feedings, which narrows it down to most of us. Second, it cannot be a woman. Godiva would enjoy that abit." Angelo noticed that she blushed abit at that. He thought about it and if a woman was examining him, he would enjoy it to, no matter the reason. Rich then continued, "And it can't be any of the guys here, because they would enjoy it too much." Okay, Angelo knew he was in that boat. 

He heard Cartier speak up. "Why not myself, Richard? I know what to look for." 

Angelo then realized why Rich had singled himself out for that. Godiva would not be as uncomfortable around Rich in the situation. Rich had seen her like that before. Before Rich could answer the question, Angelo said, "Because, Rich has seen her like that. He mentioned that to us." He could sense that Godiva was amazed that they knew, but he figure that she knew that Rich had told them. "It is not as uncomforting for him to check, as it would be for you to check her." He saw Cartier nod and then saw Rich and Godiva nod. 

Godiva then looked at Rich and said, "Ok, let's get this over with." She was ready to find out the truth. 

Paige then spoke up. "What about keeping this hidden? Ah mean.." He then noticed that she was motioning to Artie, Franklin, and Leech. That made sense to him. The little kids shouldn't see that. Instantly, Godiva's hair enveloped the two. 

Everett walked over to his side and said, "You were hoping to be the one to check her out." His friend knew him that well. 

"Well, after that sucker bet, I deserve something." 

"Well, maybe he might loan you some of his videos that you mentioned." 

Right then, there was a loud scream coming from the envelope of hair. Angelo turned to face Everett and said, "If Rich even returns to the school with us, because I have a bad feeling that he won't return." He said it softly, because he didn't want to get Yvette too worked up. 

Rich walked out of the hair mass and walked over to Cartier. He looked at the man and said, "Bad news. Your son isn't gay. From what I have just seen, he likes women." 

Godiva returned her hair to a normal state and said, "That thing copped a feel and snacked at the same time. I think I need to use the ladies for a long while." Godiva ran into a door, and he heard a second door slam. Judging the actions of all concerned, things had just gotten worse.

* * *

Yvette realized what was going on. Emplate was here. He lured them here to capture both of them. It didn't take her long to realize that Emplate had survived the past few days by feasting on Rich's cousin. She then realized a more dangerous thing. She saw Godiva's power. Emplate could have just grabbed them with his dreadlocks and taken them away. For all she knew, they were right behind them now. She spun around real quick and saw nothing. Then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She was ready to strike. She turned, tensed, and almost cut Jubilee. Jubilee looked at her concerned, and said, "Penny, what's wrong? Emplate can't get you here." 

She labored for her words, for it was difficult to communicate when she was tense. "H-h-how d-d-do y-y-you kn-n-now? W-w-with G-g-godiva's p-p-power, h-h-his dr-dr-dreadlocks c-c-could h-h-have f-f-followed u-u-us." 

"Emplate always tries to out number his foes, or out think them. Just reaching out and grabbing you is not his style." Jubilee was right. 

She relaxed abit more and said, "You're right, sis. I forgot about that." She then saw Rich was still upset. He was starting to tense up abit. This worried her abit. She walked over to him and said, "What's wrong?" 

She knew it was related to Emplate, but this confused her when he said, "He should have moved. Nobody can stand perfectly still for half a day." 

Jubilee then said, "What about those British Guards?" Jubilee was right. Those guys never move an inch. 

Jono then said, _"I've seen one faint. So there must be a reason Rich had said that."_

Mondo then said, "Do you think Godiva's ability is long lasting?" 

Sean then said, "Wouldn't explain how he managed to stay still when he arrived." 

Cartier St. Croix then said, "Godiva had shown me that he was out of the box, but when she put him in the room, he was in the crate." 

Monet looked at her father and said, "Is that important?" 

Yvette thought for a moment. She then said "Emplate could have removed the box, stashed it in the secret passage, and returned to the spot he was in." 

She saw Emma shake her head. "Security cameras would have recorded it." 

Kyuukai then spoke up. "Ever since that statue arrived, the cameras in that room have malfunctioned at times, and the passageway door was jammed. Since we thought it was a statue, we had to work on more wiring for the room." 

Daria then said something. "How far is it open?" Kyuukai held up her hand's and Daria said, "I think I know what it might be." 

Kyuukai then said, "I went down the passage to the entrance. There is nothing there, and when I tried to move the door, it didn't move." 

Yvette glanced at Rich and saw the distraught on his face. He knew what Daria was driving at. Rich then said to her, {Yvette, give me a little bit of time to think. If Daria is right, there is only one room that we can be safe in.} She then watched as he ran down the steps. She had an idea of where he was heading.

* * *

Godiva calmly left the bathroom and reentered the main hall. She was still disgusted at what had been happening to her over the past couple of days. She wondered if some greater force always picked on her, but she always put that aside. When she returned to the group, she noticed that Rich was gone. She started recalling everything that was mentioned about Emplate's possible plan. She said, "Where did Rich go?" 

Yvette, Rich's girlfriend, answered the question. "He said he needed time to think." Godiva inwardly cursed when she heard that. Rich was always one to disappear, to be alone, when he needed to think. Right now, that could cause major trouble. 

"What happened while I was gone?" 

Daria then said, "We were talking about how Emplate was staying still, and he needed help to pull that off." 

"So?" 

Sean then said, "I think we were all coming to a conclusion that none of us wanted. That Emplate is not alone. I think that we all believe that Aura is here." Aura. That must be Elane. 

"That would explain the malfunctions, but how could she hide?" 

Monet started to speak at that question. "Maybe she can ..." She trailed off and appeared to be looking straight ahead. What had just happened to her? 

Jubilee just looked at her and said, "Great, there she goes. Spaced out again." 

Cartier then said, "Somebody get her attention, and hurry!" There was urgency in his voice. 

Emma seemed to agree with his urgency. "We will need her help to stop Emplate." 

Sean looked at Cartier and said, "Any suggestions on getting her attention?" 

Cartier just said, "Try anything!" This was a different urgency then breaking her out of this state. He was afraid of something, but he didn't want to show it. She could read his actions since he had been spending time at the museum. 

Jubilee walked over to Monet and yelled in her ear, "Hey M, your brother is coming to kill us. He said he was going to force you to watch." No movement from Monet. 

Everett walked over to Jubilee and said, "I know she has a crush on me, and she considers herself a princess, so forgive me for this." He then kissed Monet. 

Jubilee just said, "It would wake me up, but she is still out." It was obvious that Everett felt a bit guilty. He probably thought he had cheated on Jubilee. 

For an hour, everyone kept trying different approaches to snap her out of her state. Some of Angelo's tactics were a little off the wall. Jubilee tried insulting her. Daria changed her arm to a steel pipe and hit Monet with it. All that happened there was a scream from Daria. It was at that moment that Godiva noticed a shadow in her peripheral vision. She turned to see a shadow moving down the stairs. She noticed the blue eyes of the shadow and realized that it must have been Yvette. She must be heading for Rich. Now was a time to get Monet out of this spell she was in. She went to Kyuukai and said, "I have an idea." She whispered her plan and they moved over to either side of Monet. 

They whispered something into each ear and Monet blinked and jumped away from the two. Monet looked at them horrified. All she said was, "Mon Dieu." 

When everybody looked at them, Godiva said, "What we said doesn't matter right now. Yvette has just left the area. She probably went to Rich. We have to find those two, or Emplate will have what he is looking for." 

It was then that Sean took charge. "We will have to split into teams, just in case Emplate is moving about. Each team will search a room and let us know if they run into Emplate, or find Skitz and Penance." 

Godiva didn't know how this was going to be taken care of, but she started to think about the tour. She remembered the reaction that Rich and Yvette had during the tour. She then said, "I think we can rule out two rooms. The Demon's room is the last place they would go near, and judging by Yvette's reactions, the Inhumanities room is out as well. Also, the presentation room has no place to hide, so that is out." 

Sean just nodded and said, "Ye heard Godiva, so lets split up. We have nine rooms to search, and we don't know when Emplate is going to move." She carefully listened as Sean picked out the teams, and who was given each room.

* * *

Yvette slowly walked into the room. The room still scared her, but she thought out what Rich had said. This was the only place the two of them would be safe if Aura was with Emplate. She had heard Godiva say that the doors could only be open by passwords, and only Godiva and her lover knew the passwords. Also, there was no secret passage into the room. This room was the safest room in the whole museum. She slowly moved through the room and saw Rich sitting on a step. She saw what he was looking at. A model of a device called a Guillotine. She shuddered when she saw the blade. She decided to let him know she was there. She thought for a moment and said in his ear, "A penny for your thoughts." 

He reached his arms around her waist and pulled her down, until she was lying across his lap. She looked her lover in his eyes and smiled. He just said, "'A penny for your thoughts.' Did you want me to take you up on that offer?" He gave her a quick kiss and then said, "You figured out that this was the place." 

She sat up on the step and said, "Yes, but why are you looking at that device?" 

He turned to face her and said, "Think of it as a symbol right now. The man who invented it, created it to give a painless execution to it's victims. Some time later, that same man was executed by the machine. Ironic, isn't it." 

She didn't understand what he was driving at. "So.." 

He then said, "Isn't it ironic that the place that you feared most, is the safest place in the whole museum?" She then realized it. He was right. This device could represent the situation they were in. 

Then she thought about it more, "But, that means Emplate could capture us in here. It means that this place could be our doom." He then smiled and she realized that he had thought of that, and had a way around it. "What's the plan?" she asked. 

He just said, "I'm going to make sure we aren't apart. We won't have to worry about that until later. Emplate won't move until the museum closes, and Aura won't look for us, because she has to keep Emplate still. But there is one problem." 

She started to tense up. She then said, "What's that?" 

"Can't communicate. All the metal in here is interfering with our communicators." 

"So, we're all alone. And no one will look for us in here." 

Rich then said, "The only way they can know we're in here is if we mess with the camera. Godiva said that one still works." 

"I wonder if they are going to use it?" 

"I don't know, but I bet that they might not. They know we can hide in shadows." He had a point. 

Yvette then looked into his eyes and said, "You are always thinking about me, aren't you?" 

He smiled and said, "I can't help it. I would risk my life for yours." 

She smiled and leaned closer. "Kiss me," she whispered. He just nodded and they kissed. She put her arms around him and they started to french kiss.

* * *

Elane Bonstien watched the screen that was linked to the camera of the Inhumanities Room. It sickened her to see Rich happy, but at least now she could ruin his life. She turned around and faced her lover. "They're alone, and in the Inhumanities room." 

Emplate, the main enemy of Gen X, walked over to her and said, "Then they know you are here. Too bad for them that I know one of the passwords in. You were right to suggest this plan, my love. Rich came when he heard that I was here. I just wish that he and Penance came here alone." 

"Don't worry. I plan to do something about it. I helped you feed off Godiva, didn't I?" He nodded. She knew it was awkward for what they did, but she enjoyed watching him feed off Godiva. She just wished that Godiva wasn't a sound sleeper. The screams would have been music to her ears. 

Emplate then looked at the monitors and said, "Something is afoot." She glanced at the monitors and saw that almost every room had two people in it. In the Myths Room was Emplate's father and sister. The creatures room played host to Jubilee and Synch. In the Extraterrestrial room was Mondo and Daria. She hated Daria, due to her defeat back at the school at the hands of the girl. In the Ghosts exhibit was Emma Frost and Godiva, and in the exhibit next to it was Chamber and Husk. She wouldn't mind hurting that hick again. On the other side of the Inhumanities room was the Inner Earth room, with the two strange boys in. Then in the room on Ancient Civilizations was Banshee and Kyuukai, and in the last room before the Hall of Demons was Skin and Franklin Richards. She wouldn't mind beating up Skin again. She was thankful that Emplate had told her all their codenames. 

"They must be looking for Rich and Penance. They might just find them before we can act." 

"I doubt it," her lover said, "because of what I had put Penance through, the Inhumanities Room is being ignored. She must have shown fear about that room." 

This puzzled her. "Why would they be in there then?" 

"I've seen into Godiva's mind. That room has other purposes, and such, it is sound proof, communication proof, and private. There is no passageway into the room, and the doors have passwords on them." 

It finally hit her. "They must have figured out that I'm here. No way in, and no way for me to attack them." 

Emplate just chuckled and said, "But, I can get in. You will have to keep everyone else from getting in, and as luck would have it, both Godiva and Kyuukai are on the wrong sides." 

"Run that past me again?" 

"The door to the Inner Earth room is opened by Godiva's password, and Kyuukai is on that side, and vise versa for Godiva." Elane smiled at what that meant. She had seen Kyuukai put her code in and had memorized it. 

"We could ambush the two lovers, but we better make sure that no one can help them." 

"Do you have an idea?" 

"There is an override control on this panel for the doors. I say we close the museum early. Then you enter the room, changing the password, and capture them. I will follow in the other door, doing the same, and we shall leave." He nodded and she threw the switch to shut down the museum. 

Almost instantly, the lights dimmed and a display showed every door locking, and triggers being set for the passages. Then, something happened that she didn't expect. A voice spoke and said, "Museum has now been shut down due to an incident. All precautions of lockup initiated." She glanced at the screens and everyone was bewildered, except for one person. She saw Rich staring at the camera, and in movement so quick, she saw a blur of movement before the monitor turned blank. 

Emplate just looked at her and said, "He knows." They then headed into the passages. Rich was lucky last time, but his luck was about to run out. 


	31. Backfire

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Stranger And Stranger 

Backfire 

When he heard the warning, Rich stopped kissing Yvette and surveyed the room. Immediately he saw the camera. He stood and walked over to the camera and with a claw, disabled it beyond repair. Yvette walked over to him and said, "What's going on?" 

Rich glanced at his watch and confirmed his suspicion. "Emplate must be at the security controls, and if Aura is here, that gives them an advantage. They know where we are, and they have isolated everyone else. I figure that Emplate knows Godiva's password, so now we have to pull a trump card to counter this." 

He walked over to a table in the corner of the room. In his mind, Yvette said to him, {Rich, you know that the second Emplate grabs us, he is going to take us back to his lair. What could you have thought up that could stop that?} Rich found what he was looking for on the table. He opened the secret drawer and found a pair of wrist manacles. 

He closed the drawer and walked over to Yvette. {I think this is one time that we can be thankful for these devices working.} He placed a cuff on Yvette's left wrist, and the other on his right wrist. {Try and break them.} 

He knew that this probably reminded her of her life as Emplate's prisoner, and she would do almost anything to get free. She start slashing at the chain and the shackle, and she stopped and said, {I can't break them.} She was upset at this. 

{Relax. They are made out of the same metal that 'The Rack' is made out of. This stuff has to be strong to stand up to Godiva's hair. I've seen her break a steel girder in half with it. When I ran a claw over the chains, it didn't cut them. The only way to separate us is to unlock the manacles. Now to add more difficulty to that task.} He led them over to a life-size electric chair. He threw the key so it fell behind the chair, in such a way that one had to lean on the chair just to see it. He then pulled the switch to the chair, jamming it to the on position. He figured that the museum had its own generator. He noticed a wall panel and went to it. He found a control that adjusted the voltage in the chair. He switched it to the maximum setting and destroyed the controls, keeping it set on that setting. He turned to Yvette and said, {What do you think will happen when either Emplate or Aura leans on that chair?} 

She had a look of fear in her eyes when she responded. {They will die.} 

{No, just get knocked unconscious, giving everyone sometime to find us, and get in here. Now, we need a place to hide.} 

Yvette pointed in a direction and said, {How about under there?} He looked and saw the Gallows. He nodded, and they ran over to it. They climbed to the top and opened the trapdoor in the floor. Quickly, they climbed into the structure and had very little view of the room. Rich closed the door. Yvette looked at him and said, {Now, what?} 

Rich just said, {We wait, my love. We wait.} It was cramped in the hiding place. Even sitting was uncomfortable. Eventually, he started to lay down. 

Yvette laid down right in front of him and said, {Hold me, please.} 

Rich got a little closer and said, {Alright, but it might take a few seconds.} He worked his right arm around her and then placed his left arm under her side and took her hands. {Is that alright?} 

Yvette just squeezed his hands and said, {Yes.} They just lay in their hiding spot, waiting for what would happen. Rich felt himself nodding off to dreamland, and he could tell that Yvette was in the same state. He thought of all the precautions he had made. He figured that they would allow them both to be at ease. Rich then fell asleep.

* * *

Cartier was confused by what was going on, but he had no doubt that his son was behind it. He knew that there was a trigger in the room somewhere, but the only trick was finding it. He started to examine the statues in the room as he said, "Monet, help me find the trigger to the secret door. We have to stop Marius." 

He was caught off guard by the answer he received. "Why should I stop the one I support?" He turned and saw Monet looking at him, with an evil smile on her face. 

He knew who was talking instantly. "Claudia." He knew that the entity that Monet called Mentor was trying to help her repress Claudia, and that the 'autistic' attacks were struggles with Claudia. He had also figured that it was then that Claudia talked with Emplate. 

"You're not as dumb as you look, Pop." He and Claudia never got along, but then, she always supported Marius' deeds. "I just wish that Marius hadn't left me out of his plans. I guess that's my fault for being stuck with Little Goodie Two Shoes." 

He looked her square in the eye and said, "I doubt he will help you now. He's probably hunting Rich down, and Monet's friends will stop him." 

She laughed a menacing laugh and said, "I have helped him so many times that you have no idea of what happened. When I talk to Marius, Monet tries to stop me. She has to mentally freeze 'our' body. Back in the center of the museum, I told him that Rich went into the museum." His fears were confirmed. "He was at the security console, and he knows where Rich is, as well as all of us." 

Cartier wanted to strike his daughter, but he knew that he would hurt Monet. He also wondered what else Claudia had done. "I am beginning to wish that I didn't have you as a daughter." 

"Because I help Marius. I told him where Yvette was. I told him about Yvette in the first place. Remember our trip to Yugoslavia. I noticed Yvette and told Marius about her. I plan to do one last thing and finally stay in control of this..." Her words trailed of as Cartier heard her scream. When the screaming stopped, Monet looked stunned and said, "I won't let you win Claudia. You have caused enough danger." 

Cartier ran to his daughter's side. He saw that she was drained, due to her experience. He said, "Are you alright, Monet?" 

His daughter hugged him and said, "Father. I don't know how I lost control. She seemed to gain strength. I don't know if I can hold her back anymore." 

Cartier just held her and said, "Remember what happened last time she took control and Marius was around." He felt her shudder. He had to separate the three of them, and Marius was forced to wear a respirator after that day. He was about to continue when the communicator made a sound. Monet activated it and he then heard the boy named Leech tell some unsettling news.

* * *

Emplate had opened the door to the chamber on Inner Earth. He glanced around the room, before closing the door behind him. If he guessed right, the two mutant children, Artie and Leech, would hide and contact the others. This meant that everyone would find out where Rich and Penance were, and by the time they got in, it would be too late. He heard the faint beep of the communicator. The kids were smart enough not to challenge him. To him, they would be a mere snack. He thought about supping on them, but then thought it best to wait. He approached the door to the Inhumanities exhibit and typed in the password. 

Once inside, he shut the door and changed the password. When he changed it, he choose a random set of numbers and letters. This would keep everyone guessing. He smiled inwardly and looked at the room. He knew Rich and Penance were hiding in there. He just said, "I know you're in here, so make it easy on yourselves and give up." He reached into every shadow, hoping to grab them, only to find nothing. He heard a crackle, and spun to grab his prey. All he saw was the remnants of the camera. 

He growled in frustration. He knew that those two were in here. He had the strength to hold out for a few days, after supping constantly on Godiva Cale. He then noticed something he hadn't seen before. He turned to one of the displays and saw the auras of Rich and Penance. "Found you. Now it's time to take you home." He moved to the top of the display and opened the trapdoor. He had to admit that Penance's attire was very appealing, but it would suit him better to have her in restraints, much stronger than he had on her before. And Rich would become a second Emplate, willing or not. The first thing was to separate the two. No problem, he thought as he climbed down into the little area. 

He noticed that Rich was holding Penance in a tender, loving way. Emplate inwardly laughed as he thought that the next time that Rich would hold her was as a feast. He started to pull them out of the area when he noticed something. "No!!!" was all he shouted, but the two didn't wake up. What he saw ruined his plans for a quick escape. Rich and Penance were manacled together. He looked frantically for the key, but couldn't find it. This must have been Rich's idea. The key wouldn't be on them, so it must be somewhere in the room. The longer he searched for it, the more time he gave Gen X to find them. He knew that everything in this room was made to withstand Godiva's hair, and had figured that Rich and Penance put on the manacles because they couldn't cut them. He had to find out where the key was. He then noticed something in the room. He glanced at the happy couple and said, "You will tell me where the key is, and then we will leave here." He dragged the sleeping pair to the device he would use.

* * *

Emma Frost listened to the communication of Emplate's movement and wondered why he went into the Inhumanities room, until Godiva said, "Somebody hit me. I should have thought of that." 

Emma shot a glare at Rich's cousin, who she got paired with in the search and said, "Thought of what?" 

Godiva was blushing, due to embarrassment, when she said, "Since Kyuukai and I had that room isolated, and everything specially built." 

Emma felt she could complete the thought and said, "Rich thought that room would be the safest." Godiva nodded. "But, if Emplate had fed off you, he knows your password for the room." 

Godiva nodded and said, "Yes, but everything is built so my hair can't break it. You remember what Rich's claws couldn't do to the chains." Emma did remember that. 

"So, that must mean that Rich must have figured a way to throw some trump cards to counter Emplate. I wonder if it was planned out when he went in there." 

"Knowing Rich, it was. Emma?" 

Emma turned to face Godiva, "Yes?" 

"I was wondering. What happened when Elane attacked the school?" 

Emma thought how to phrase it best, and then said, "All but Rich, Yvette, and Paige were away from the school. Rich was asleep, after having a nightmare." 

"That's a bad sign." 

"It was. That was how we knew that Elane was going to attack. She managed to crush Paige's waist, and almost had taken Rich and Yvette. They were unconscious when we got there, but we had stopped Elane from taking them." Emma started to feel a bit lightheaded. 

"Who stopped Elane?" 

Emma said, "I think it was a joint effort by Jubilee and Daria." All of a sudden, her mind was on fire and all she heard were screams. She could tell there were two tones in the screams and realized what must be happening. She looked at Godiva and said, "I fear that Rich and Yvette are being tortured." She saw Godiva's eyes go wide, and then Godiva scurried around the room, looking for a trigger. 

Emma moved over to a display and leaned on it. She bumped the item and a door opened. Godiva glanced over and said, "The door was triggered to the bear. Good going."Emma looked at the bear and saw what it was. She figured that she would rather not know what an old Teddy Ruxbin talking bear was doing in there. She entered the tunnel and almost ran into Jubilee and Everett.

* * *

Daria was startled when Emma and Godiva came through the wall. She was half expecting Aura to attack. She slowly thought back to how much her life had changed since she was pulled into Zero Tolerance. Now, she was in a mission to stop Emplate and Aura. She saw Emma glance at all the people there, which had included herself and Mondo, Jubilee and Everett, and Monet and her father. Daria was impressed how Cartier got them out of the rooms. Emma then said, "Is everybody alright?" 

Jubilee looked at her and said, "Just a bit shook up by events, but we can get through this and save Penny and Rich, right?" 

Godiva spoke up and said, "If Rich is using that crazy mind of his, yes. Rich loved to think things out. He picked that room because of all the things in it." 

It was Everett who then said, "But we all saw Yvette's reaction, and Rich wouldn't go there." 

Godiva replied, "Exactly, the last place one would look. That's how he thinks, sometimes. Remember this, Rich loves to be unpredictable. He has scared me many a time like that. It's no wonder my little brother always adored him." 

Emma said, "Because of your father's death." 

Godiva looked stunned and said, "How did you know about that?" 

Monet then said, "Rich's parents told us about that." She started walking toward the next room and got to the trapdoor. "Daria, do you think you can force the door open. I think Jono might be in trouble." She had an idea of what that might be. She walked over to the door and saw a box of pegs on the floor. At the door were ten holes, each with a different pattern in it. It was obvious that the holes changed forms each night. Daria manipulated her fingers so that each was right in front of a hole. She then used her ability to form the pegs for each hole. 

When the door opened, Daria saw a sight that scared her. Jono was on the ground, with the fire in his chest very dim. They all ran into the room and she asked Paige, "What happened?" 

Paige just looked at them, with tears in her eyes, and said, "He just screamed in agony. He said he couldn't take their screams. What's happened to him?" 

Emma then said, "Paige, Mondo, get Jono to the Mythology room. Rich and Yvette's psionic screams must have cause him severe injury." Daria watched as Paige and Mondo picked up Jono and carted him off to the passage. Once they cleared the door, Emma turned to Godiva and said, "Ok, Godiva, open the door." 

Godiva just looked at her and said, "Sorry Ms. Frost, but this door has Kyuukai's password on it. Mine is on the door in the Inner Earth Room." 

Daria watched as Emma started to say, "Then we...." She collapsed to the ground. Daria ran over and saw the look in her eyes. She was unconscious. The psionic scream must have knocked her out. 

She stood up and said, "I have an idea. I can try to break this door down, while you get the others to the other door." She knew she was taking a risk, but it was worth it. Rich was her legal guardian. 

Monet walked over to her and said, "You can't stand alone here." 

"If you brother is in there, then the only problem is Aura. And Emma can't stop her, just try to get to the other door. I'll do my job by trying to get in, and keeping an eye on Emma." Her arms transformed into two metal sledgehammers. Monet led the others out and Daria started to force her way into the room.

* * *

Rich saw himself in a tuxedo. He hated the suit, but he swore that there would only be two times in his life that he would wear one, on his wedding day, and his funeral. He was in a church. He turned to face the back of the building. His family was on one side, and on the other side was all of Gen X. He then saw the bride coming down the isle, escorted by Sean Cassidy. When the bride reached his side, he saw Yvette's face under the veil. She just looked at him and said, "Are we dreaming the same thing?" 

He then realized that they were asleep. "We must be. But our subconscious must allow us to stay with each other in our dreams." 

"I hope that this scene is in our future." He had to agree with her on that. For once, he hoped that a good dream would come true. 

He was startled by the next voice heard, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to see these two joined together in their destined path." They both turned and saw Emplate standing where the minister was. He felt a pain seize his body. Instantly, he collapsed to the floor. 

He turned his head to see Yvette had done the same, but her black restraints were back, except they were different. She looked at him, scared and said, "What happened to the dream?" 

He looked around and saw everyone was dead. He faced front, expecting Emplate to be gloating over them. He was shocked to see that even Emplate was dead. He stood up and looked at where the cross had been, but now a person that he didn't ever see before was there. He then looked at himself. The tux was replaced by a leather jacket and what he had been wearing. What had happened to this dream, and then it slowly hit him. He glanced at his hands. It confirmed his fears, this was the worse nightmare he could have. Slowly, he finally realized it and said, "It can't be." 

He saw Yvette stand up and glance at her hands in fear as well. "No. It can't be, it can't be." He felt another bolt of pain seize his body. He closed his eyes as he and Yvette both screamed. 

When he opened his eyes, he looked up at the ceiling in the Inhumanities room. He glanced to his right to see Yvette laying next to him, her eyes still closed with tears coming out. He then saw that they were lying on a table. It took him less then a second to realize that they were on the 'Rack'. Soon, Emplate walked into view. He knew what Emplate wanted right now, and Emplate just said, "The location of the key, Richard, and this pain will stop." 

"I'd rather take this pain, then suffer the pain of being like you." He hoped that he put up enough bravado up to fool Emplate. 

Emplate just looked at them and said, "And what about Penance? Do you care for her so much to end this pain she is suffering." Emplate was starting to make him want to tell him the key. He couldn't bare to see Yvette in pain. 

"It's better than having you feed on me, Emplate." He felt proud knowing that Yvette would endure this. She knew that they had to hold out until help arrived. She then said to him {Listen in the background.} 

He listened to the background noise and heard a steady metallic beat. {It must be Daria, trying to break one of the doors down. Why doesn't she get Kyuukai?} 

He noticed that Emplate heard the sound as well and started to laugh. "You know, Richard, I doubt that Daria will break down the door. And since Kyuukai and Godiva are on the wrong sides of the building, we have some time to talk." Emplate turned a crank on the table and he and Yvette screamed in pain, this time verbally. "Where is the key to those manacles?" 

"Up yours," he shouted at Emplate. Emplate stepped back from the device for a moment. He was sure that they could hold out until help arrived. 

Emplate just walked over and looked at them. "Maybe a rest is in order. Maybe my beloved, Elane, can find a way to persuade you to talk. As for now..." 

Yvette panickally said, {He going to grab us.} Rich then saw Emplate's hand coming straight for him, and he noticed one over Yvette's head. All of a sudden, there was a pain similar to many knifes. He felt Emplate feeding off him. It was painful. It was an attempt to weaken his will. When Emplate stopped, Yvette said to him, {I managed to stay strong. I didn't give in.} 

He glance over at Emplate, who had walked away from them. {But for how long until we tell him were the key is?} He felt her shudder through the manacles. He then said, {I'm afraid that we might not be leaving with Gen X.} 


	32. Emplate Wins

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Stranger And Stranger 

Emplate Wins 

Angelo looked about the room. He was stuck in the one on the Bermuda Triangle with Franklin. He was half afraid that the boy's abilities might bring the displays to life. It had been a while since they heard that Emplate entered the Inhumanities room. Now all they had to do was find the trigger mechanism to open the door. He saw that the boy was scared. He wasn't to sure on how to comfort the boy, but he would need Franklin's help to get them out of the room. He turned to Franklin and said, "Are you alright?" 

Franklin just looked at him and said, "I'm scared." Angelo didn't want to admit it, but he was scared as well. 

He went over to Franklin and said, "Well, you have to put your fears aside. Rich and Yvette are depending on us. They are trapped by Emplate, and if we don't get to them soon, we may never see them again." Franklin shivered. It was obvious that the boy was scared. 

"I don't want Penny to be taken, and neither Rich." Angelo knew that the couple always spent time with the kids, playing games and such. Angelo remembered one time that everyone there had a campout right at the treehouse. He remembered as Rich told them a tale about monsters, and heroes. Franklin broke his thought when he said, "Why don't we just use the trigger from before?" 

"I don't think it would work. They were reset when the announcement went off." He then let a smile cross his face. He had thought of a way to get out of the room, and quickly. He faced Franklin and said, "Do you think you can alter reality in this room?" 

Franklin looked abit stunned at this request. "Why?" 

"If you can alter reality so that it is like it was before the trigger was changed, we can open the door. Right now, this won't open the door." Angelo worked at the UFO display and notice that no doors opened in the room. "Understand." 

Franklin nodded and started to concentrate. Soon, everything was glowing and then, the glow subsided. Franklin looked drained as he said, "I think I did it." 

Angelo worked the same combination as before and the door opened. "Great. Now we better get to the others." They entered the secret passage and went to the next door. Almost as he started to attempt to open it, the door opened and Sean started coming through. 

"Angelo, lad, how did ye get out of the room ye were in." Obviously Sean was surprised by his presence. 

Franklin answered the question quickly. "I change reality in the room so the trigger was in the UFO display." 

Kyuukai, who was starting to head out the door said, "Brilliant move, but it must have been tiring." 

The boy nodded and then Angelo said, "We should get to the Artie and Leech. Those two must be scared right now." Sean nodded and they headed for the room the boys were in.

* * *

Sean couldn't believe it. His worse thoughts were coming true. Both Rich and Yvette were in the clutches of Emplate. He hoped that Rich had thought of enough tricks to keep Emplate's plan from working. When he finally got to the room on the Inner Earth displays, Artie and Leech immediately came out of hiding. Leech looked at him and said, "They still in there?" 

He didn't want to scare them, but he had to answer truthfully, "I hope so, lad. I hope so." He walked over to the door and looked at it. He then looked at Kyuukai and said, "Okay, lass, what's the password?" 

He saw Kyuukai shrug and said, "Don't know. That's Godiva door. It's her password." 

Sean didn't need to hear that, but at the time, all he could do was contact Emma. Emma had gone with Godiva on the search. He activated communicator and said, "Emma, are ye there?" He heard a metal clanging sound in the background. He called again, just a bit louder. "Emma, where are ye?" 

He heard another voice on the communicator, shouting above the clanging. "She can't here you. She's out cold." It had sounded like Daria's voice. 

"Daria, is that ye?" 

"Yes sir. I'm trying to break through the door." He had to give the girl credit. She was going to try anything to save Rich and Yvette, but then he knew that Rich was her legal guardian. 

"Is Godiva there?" 

"You mean she isn't over at the other door." This had him worried. 

He called everyone and said, "Where is Godiva, and does anybody know why Emma is out cold?" 

The first voice to answer was Jono's. _"She went out when Rich and Yvette let out psionic screams. The blighter Emplate must be torturing them. They must have put a wrench in 'is plans. Had me incapacitated for awhile."_ He realized that the screams must have played havoc with Jono's ability. 

The second voice was that of Jubilee. "Godiva's with us. We are at the base of the stairway. We hit an obstacle." 

Sean had an idea what it was. "It's Aura, isn't it." 

Godiva then said, "Yea, it's the bitch. She and Everett are having abit of an aura stand off. Unfortunately, his force with two hands is doing nothing to move her force with one hand." The way that she said it showed her hatred of Aura. 

"Godiva, can ye tell us your password for the door to the Inhumanities room." 

Just then Kyuukai, who was looking at the door said to him, "It won't help." He was shocked and he faced her. She then said, "Emplate changed the password as soon as he entered the room. There are now two options. The first is to go in through my door." 

Just then, a groggy voice spoke, "Then we need your password." It was Emma. Sean was relieved to hear her voice. 

He said, "Emma, how are ye feelin." 

"I'll be fine as long as Rich and Yvette don't yell anymore, and if Daria will stop hammering at the door." He heard the clanging stop as Emma continued. "Now, Kyuukai what is your password." 

He noticed that Kyuukai was about to answer when he heard everyone yelling. He yelled into the communicator and said, "What's going on?" 

The voice that responded was shouting something he didn't need to here. "I'm beating you to the punch, loser." It was Aura, and she was headed for the door as well.

* * *

Elane realized what Gen X was going to do. They were going to use Kyuukai's password and rescue Rich and Penance. It was time for her to act. She placed a second hand forward and ran down the steps. The momentum of her moving aura pushed everyone down the corridor. She heard Banshee's voice over the communicator and she told the loser off. They had cost her her revenge the first time, but not the second. She ran into the first door and closed it. Now that part of Gen X couldn't follow her. She turned and faced Emma Frost. The woman looked at her and said, "You're not going any farther, Aura." The woman's eyes started to glow and a bolt knocked her to the ground. 

Elane just looked at Emma. She could tell that Emma Frost was proud of her looks, just by the way she dressed. Elane then noticed that another figure was running straight for her. It was Daria. Elane rolled out the way of the oncoming attack and go up. She noticed Daria still had sledgehammers for fists, and was preparing to strike. Elane just manipulated her aura again and said, "Emma, be a dear and stand here." She noticed the shocked look on Emma's face as her arms were straight out from her sides and she was pulled in front of Daria's attack. 

Elane heard Emma scream in pain as Daria hit her straight in her chest. She heard Daria gasp and then exclaim, "I'll get you before you get in that door, Aura. I'll make you pay for that." The girl took flight and rammed straight into her, making her drop Emma. 

Elane looked at Daria and said, "Wrong move." She held her hand in a grasping motion and twist it. She watched as Daria's legs bent back. She was amazed to see that miniature rockets were in the girl's shoes. Daria then went flying backwards, knocking down a now recovering Emma. When Daria finally stopped, Elane noticed that the two were on a pile on the floor. Elane used her aura to hold them down and said, "Nobody move." She moved over to the door and entered passcode. It opened and she sneaked in. She removed her aura and said to the two women, "How I wish I was into blackmail." 

Elane closed the door and changed the password. She then turned and saw Emplate facing her. He looked like he was upset. Emplate just said, "I was hoping you would show up. Rich won't crack, even under my own personal assault." 

Elane turned and saw Rich and Penance on the Rack. She noticed a trail of blood running down their foreheads. She smiled and said, "You were hungry. What needs to be done?" 

"Rich has manacle himself to Penance, and neither will say were the key is. Maybe you can persuade Rich to let us in on his secret." 

Elane just smiled and walked over to the rack. She watched as both of the captive's stared in fear at her. She looked at them and said, "This will be my pleasure. I have an idea. I'll take turns crushing a part of your bodies. Penance first." She rammed her fist down in the air and heard Penance scream in pain. 

She watched as tears came from her former cousin's eyes. This was more than he could take, for he finally broke down. "The key is under the last place to sit." She stopped and stood up. That was too easy. She would have figured that each would last through at least one attack. 

Her lover just said, "What does that mean?" She was about to pressure Rich for more when she heard the answer. A constant electric hum. She left the rack and ran over to the Electric Chair. 

"No wonder he gave in. He had this figured. Take a look." She waited until Emplate was by her side. "Rich must have jammed the chair into the max setting and one. He must have the key under the chair in such a way that we have to touch the chair just to see it." 

She noticed a gleam in her lover's eye. "Barricade the doors. If you changed the password as well, Gen X will do the rest for us." She was puzzled by this, but she figured that he knew something. 

"What's the plan now?" 

"There is one way to open those doors, and that is to cut the power to this room." She heard movement and glanced back at the Rack. Now Rich was trying to break the chains, but she knew that he couldn't. She just laughed. All they had to do was wait.

* * *

Everett could not believe the force that he had been hit with. He truly understood how powerful Aura was now. He got up and then pulled everyone else up. As he helped Jubilee up, she said to him, "I'm beginning to wish this was Sabertooth we were dealing with." 

He was puzzled by this remark. She had told him about the time that the power went out at the X-Men's headquarters, before the Phalanx attacked, and when Sabertooth almost killed her. He just looked at her and said, "Why?" 

"Because, we know Sabertooth. We know very little about Aura." He had to agree with her on that. He thought he could push Aura back, but her control over her power was much better than his control of those powers. He could handle Angelo's, Jubilee's, Sean's and some of the others fairly well, and even better, but he had never had to control a power he couldn't see. 

His thoughts were cut short when Sean's voice came over the communicator. "Is everyone alright?" 

"Just shaken up. We're heading back to the room. Why?" 

"Emma and Daria aren't responding to me calls. I think that Aura might have injured them severely, or worse." He didn't like how that sounded, and by the look on everyone else's faces, neither did they. 

He noticed that Godiva rushed ahead. She stopped at a spot and said, "Damn, she closed the door." He watched as Godiva started searching for the pegs to open the door. 

Monet walked over to the door and said, "May I?" He watched as Monet just looked at the holes for the pegs and then placed the pegs in the corresponding holes. 

Godiva turned and said, "Cartier, how smart is Monet?" Nobody wanted to answer the question, and then the door opened. Godiva glanced in the door and stepped back and said, "I wonder if Elane placed them in that position. I don't think they did it themselves." 

Everett looked in and saw what she meant. Daria and Emma were laying on top of each other. He and everyone else ran in and help get the two to their feet. They were just recovering from the attack when Cartier said, "What happened?" 

Emma was the first to answer. "Aura had shut the door and I knocked her down with a psi-bolt. She dodged Daria's attacked and then used me as a shield. I was just getting to my feet when Daria flew into me. She was acting as if she was out of control." 

Daria then said, "That was when Aura grabbed hold of my legs and bent the back at the knees. I didn't know how that was affecting my flying, but it did." Everett was surprised by this, as was everybody else. 

Monet just looked at her and said, "When could you fly?" 

"I don't know. I just did." Everett then looked over at the door. He noticed something that nobody else had probably seen. There was a flashing sign on it. Daria noticed it and said, "I hope that's not a bad sign." 

Everett just sighed and said, "I think the password is useless." He watched as Godiva walked over to the door and cursed. She motioned him to contact Sean. He did so and said, "Sean, I think we need something better than a password." 

It was Kyuukai that replied, "Godiva, what about the generator? Do you think we could get in if we deactivate it?" 

He heard Godiva say, "Yes, but some of us have to wait here, and the door might be barricaded." 

Another voice came over the communicator, that of Paige. "We can deactivate the generator, if that's what it will take to free Rich and Yvette." 

Sean replied, "Good. Godiva, Kyuukai, could ye tell them were to go." Everett then listened as Godiva recited the instructions. Then Sean said, "Daria, ye might want to persuade the door to open. Everett, do yur best to help her. I will try to knock the door open from my end." Everett then got in synch with Daria and the two got ready to open the door.

* * *

Paige had listen intently to what Godiva said. She then led Jono and Mondo to where the generator was. She knew the consequences if they failed. Emplate had attacked the school on a couple of occasions, and all had left a major impact, and all of those were when they won. She was almost started when she heard Jono said, _"Come on, luv. We have to stop Emplate."_

"Jono, Ah hope we manage to save them." She was worried for both Rich and Yvette, and she even heard the concern in her voice. 

Mondo, who even had a worried look on his face, said, "I hope so too. Although I must admit I am concerned how it will effect Daria. She sees Rich as her guardian." 

Paige just glanced at Mondo. The way Mondo was talking seemed to point toward one thing. "Mondo, do you have a crush on Daria?" She noticed that he nodded sheepishly. 

She was about to say something when Jono said, {You know the look.} 

She just looked at him and whispered, "I could swear that you had a crush on Penance when she first arrived." 

_"I thought of her as a kindred spirit. At the time, we would never have expected her to return to the state she is in now, but then."_ He had stopped speaking, and Paige saw why, but she also knew the end to his statement. They had reached the generator room. He then said, _"Ladies first."_

"Thank you, Jono" She opened the door and saw a generator and a smaller version of it connected to a computer. She walked over to the computer and looked over it. A screen showed that the entire lights, security and display set up. She noticed that the inhumanities had a large amount of electricity heading towards it and figured that it must have been the doors. She then looked at the generator display and saw it read: 

** MAIN GENERATOR: OPERATIVE******

** EMERGENCY GENERATOR: STAND BY******

** COMPUTER POWERED BY: MAIN******

** SECURITY POWER: FULL******

** LIGHTING POWER: FULL******

** DISPLAY POWER: FULL (STRAINED)**

The last word was flashing. Jono looked at it and said, _"Something must be pulling alot of power."_

Mondo then said, "Wouldn't that mean that the generator might explode if not shut off." Paige's eyes went wide. She knew what that meant. Whatever Emplate was doing to Rich and Yvette must be taking alot of energy. 

Paige replied, "Yeah, and if we don't stop it soon, we'll be at ground zero of the explosion." She raced over the controls and switched the computer over to the back-up generator and then shut off the main generator. She looked at the display which now read: 

** MAIN GENERATOR: OFF-LINE******

** EMERGENCY GENERATOR: OPERATIVE******

** COMPUTER POWERED BY: EMERGENCY******

** SECURITY POWER: OFF******

** LIGHTING POWER: MINIMUM******

** DISPLAY POWER: OFF**

Jono, who had removed the bandages covering the hole in his chest, said, _"Paige, I'm beginning to have a bad feeling about this."_

Paige turned to her boyfriend, concerned, and said, "Why?" She was scared when he said that. 

He just looked at her with tears in his eyes. She had never seen him cry, but he was as he said, _"They are screaming again. Screaming that Emplate has them."_

She quickly tapped the communicator and said, "Godiva, can you hear me?" 

Godiva's voice answer the call. "Yes, but something is happening here, Emma just collapsed in pain. Daria and Everett are trying to hammer the door in, and I think Sean is trying it on the other side with his screams." 

Paige abit concerned about all said, "Is there anything in the Inhumanities room that would take alot of power." 

"Just the electric chair display, if it was jammed on the highest setting. Can knock a person unconscious, why?" 

Paige put two and two together. Emplate wouldn't use the chair, but Rich and Yvette might have, as a defense measure. "We'll be right down, and get into the room, fast." She turned to Jono and Mondo and said, "We better hurry, or else Rich and Yvette won't be in the room any longer." With that, they headed off to the room.

* * *

Rich listened as Emplate and Elane were barricading the doors. He knew that they had everything running in their favor. Emplate had successfully capture them, but he now needed the key. Rich heard Yvette stir and she said, {What's happening?} He noticed that she had tensed up. He couldn't help but do the same. 

{Emplate and Elane have barricaded the doors. They know where the key is. They figure that the only way that Gen X can get in is to shut off the power.} 

{Will they shut off the power?} He knew what she was hinting at. 

{They don't know the spot we are in, but the second the lights dim, and the electric hum stops, Emplate has us. I just have to wonder about one thing.} 

{And that is?} 

{How did he know when to leave the display room and attack early, unless..} His thought was cut short buy the flicker of the lights. When the lights came back on, they were dim. He also didn't hear the electric hum. He turned to Yvette and said, {Psionicly yell. If we get someone to understand us, we might be saved.} They both yelled about their impending doom. 

Rich heard Elane go, "Yes. Time to get out of here." They had the key. It would be over in seconds. He also head the doors starting to give. Would luck remain on their side? 

He saw Emplate looking over them. Emplate had the key and unlocked the manacles. He felt himself lifting off the table. It was Elane. She had done the same to Yvette. Emplate just looked at him and said, "When you awake, you'll be at your new home." He felt the pressure push him into unconsciousness. Soon, darkness overcame him. 

* * *

It wasn't to long after he started that he knocked through the door. Sean quickly ran into the room and saw the most horrible site he had ever seen. Then, everyone else came in the other door. Emma, who looked as if she was hit by a mack truck, said, "What happened?" 

Everyone else just stood there. He heard the little one's crying, but he also heard Daria crying. He knew why. Godiva just looked at the room and was speechless. Sean decided to voice the answer, "I think that we were too late." 

He then saw Paige, Jono and Mondo run in. Mondo ran to Daria's side, but Paige just said, "Did we save them?" When Sean shook his head, Paige just said, "I thought so." 

He was wondering what the girl was thinking and said, "What is it, lass?" 

Paige answered his question, "When we turned off the power, we just handed them over. Emplate must have wanted us to turn off the power. There was alot of power going into this room, which meant that a display was taking it. Godiva said it was the Electric Chair display, and I figure that Rich must have activated it, but why as a defense?" 

He noticed that Kyuukai had walked over to the display of the Rack and held up a pair of manacles. She just said, "This is why. Rich must have manacled himself to Yvette and then put the key under the chair in such a way that the chair would have shocked anyone going for the key." Sean then realized that his worse fears had entirely come true. 

Godiva looked at him and said, "What are you going to do now?" 

Sean knew that Rich's family should never know about what problems he would encounter. He just replied, "Godiva, keep this a secret from his folks, alright. We know where Emplate's lair is. We will head back to the school and plan an attack from there. What we do know is that we have about a week to do it in." The girl just sighed and he led everyone out. They had to leave. 

As they were leaving, Sean noticed Cartier walking to him. He stopped and told everyone else to continue. Sean noticed that Monet seemed nervous. It was after all had left that Cartier said, "Be careful if Monet enters one of her spells. Get her out of it as soon as you can, and make sure you get her out." Cartier walked away and Sean wondered what that meant as he went to the van. Gen X had to leave soon to rescue Rich and Yvette. 


	33. A Savoir Appears

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Reflections On The Emplate War 

A Savior Appears 

Dr. Hank McCoy just sat in the room, watching the young mutant boy infront of him. Little was known about the boy. The only thing that was known about the boy was that the boy had saved Richard Cale and Penance from Emplate, although how he got to where they were was a mystery. When Sean had told him that the boy was a time traveller, he decided to call in someone who had been in this position before. The boy looked at him and said, "How long are you going to keep me here?" 

Hank McCoy looked at the boy and just said, "Patience, please. I am waiting for another temporal traveller to arrive. His insight might be able to help you more than I can." 

The boy looked at him and said, "You mean Bishop." Hank was shocked that the child knew of Bishop. The child then said, "You want him to help me. I heard about him. He was confused when he entered this time." 

A deep voice said, "But, I learned about this time. And my knowledge helped this timeline." Hank looked to see Bishop standing at the door. He always wondered about the time traveller, but never questioned him much about his time. 

The boy turned to the new arrival and said, "Your knowledge didn't do you any good in my timeline. You were one of the first to fall." Hank saw the anger welling in Bishop. 

"I have faced things you have yet to experence. If it weren't for some of my knowledge about Emplates, Generation X might have even less about the first one." 

The boy walked up to Bishop and said, "And all your knowledge earned you an empty corpse in my time line. You could find Emplates, but not the attack that killed you." Hank saw Bishop stagger backwards. "That surprises you. You don't know how dangerous Emplates are until you look at my timeline." 

Hank leaned forward and said, "What happened in your timeline?" He was greatly intrigued. His own dark counterpart, as well as Nate Grey, came from another timeline, the Age Of Apocalypse. He then remembered the one thing he forgot to ask the child. "Also, what is your name?" 

The boy just sat down and said, "My name is Darrett Xavier Thomas, and in my timeline was a very destructive war. It was known as the Emplate War." Hank noticed that Bishop sat down, in shock. 

Hank knew that this worried Bishop, but they had to know what had happened. "Darrett, what started this war?" 

The boy just looked at him and said, "It started at the museum that Generation X had just left from. It started with the abduction I had stopped. In my timeline, the abduction had happened, and Generation X failed to rescue Skitz and Penance." 

Bishop then said, "And this increased Emplate's forces." The boy shook his head. He noticed the doubting look on his face as Bishop asked the next question. "You mean this made Emplate weaker?" 

The boy just nodded and said, "It was never confirmed of what happened, but something caused both Skitz and Penance's minds to snap. Some figure it was what Emplate did to them, other figured that it was the mere thought of being Emplates for the rest of there lives that caused them to snap." 

Hank just leaned back and said, "I see. So Emplate and Skitz were at war which took it's toll on the world." He was surprised when the boy shook his head. 

The boy then said, "No. After Skitz and Penance's minds snapped, they slaughtered all of Emplate's followers, and then Monet St. Croix. The reason was never told to me. Both my parents took that secret to their graves. They then took out any threat they perceived, humans, heroes, the X-groups, and even the villians at the time." 

Bishop just looked at the boy and said, "You mean that Skitz and Penance were taking over the world." The boy nodded. Hank could see the disbelief in Bishop's eyes. 

It then hit Hank McCoy that not everything could have been stopped. He leaned forward and said, "What about the chaotic Legacy Virus? Surely they couldn't stop that?" 

Hank was surprised when the boy shook his head. "Legacy was cured a month after their abduction. Moria McTaggart was thought to be leading the forces until four months later, when Skitz and Penance killed Banshee atop a tall building." 

The question was asked by both he and Bishop simultaniously "How?" 

The boy continued quietly as he said "Generation X went to stop Skitz. Emplate had joined with them, but they couldn't stop them. Banshee was capture and killed. The group split, half going with Emplate, half staying with Emma." 

Bishop then said, "Couldn't you stay with the X-Men?" 

Hank could see the harshness in the boy's eyes as the child said, "You weren't listening. The X-Men were one of the first to go. In my time, your head is one of many on display in the hall of the lucky ones. Skitz wasn't stupid. Any mutant he didn't kill, was used as livestock." 

Hank was shocked by these words. "You mean he kept mutants like they were cattle." The child nodded and Hank realized that timeline the child was from was a very dismal path. Hank then asked about what the boy just said. "Darrett, you said that Gen-X split, do you know what happened to those who stayed with Emma?" 

Bishop then said, "And what about those who went with Emplate?" 

The boy just sighed, "Sometime after the split, the school fell into tragic times. Emma Frost's company was being taken over by another company. I can't remember the name, but it was headed by Skitz himself. It was part of a plan to take over the school, but more. He captured her when she discovered what was happening. No one knows what happened to her. My parents, who were going to rescue her, were kept out of their American base of operations. When the other two members tried to rescue her, one was killed, the other taken prisoner. When my folks returned to the school, it was overrun by Emplates. They fled, and they stopped when they reached the Savage Land, and the most unlikely of forces against the Emplates." 

Hank eyed the boy with the curiosity of a cat, and said, "Who were they?" 

What the boy said shocked both he and Bishop. "The last source of hope was a small band of free mutants, lead by Xavier and Apocalypse. When Skitz started his assult, it drew Apocalypse's attention, mainly because he was doing what Apocalypse couldn't, and that even Apocalypse would not be immune to the effects. It was an allience not of choice, but of survival." 

Bishop then said, "What happened to Emplate after that?" 

The child just said, "Not long after my parents joined the rebel group, an annocement was sent world wide. Skitz announced that Emplate was no longer a threat to the new order. All that followed him were dead. He then announced a statement that worried the rebel group. He announced that he would destroy the one being that could destory all that the Emplate's had. His family's age old enemy, En Sabar Nur." 

Hank was taken back by this. Could this be true, and how? Did Richard Cale's family know about Apocalypse, and if so, how far back did it go? His thoughts were interrupted when Bishop said, "Skitz declared war on Apocalypse, who in your timeline, ended up on the side of mutants and humans." 

The boy shook his head and said, "By my birth, all Homo Sapiens were dead. Skitz perceived humans as a threat. He knew that mutants would fight back, but his mind was working everything out. Especially the day my father died. My father went with Apocalypse to try and find some weakness in Skitz's command. They went to Skitz's ancesteral home, where it was rumored that all secrets of the Cale family were kept under lock and key. When they arrived, they were attacked by Emplate's. They managed to fight their way to the vault, but when they entered, according to my mother who saw a vid transmition of the events, the only sight they saw was a black flamming sword. Before either was prepared to attack, Skitz and Penance attacked. It was a short fight as both my father and Apocalypse fell. At that, my mother took me out of the place that would no longer be safe for us." 

Hank looked at the boy, while writing all this information down for in his files. "So, you lived your whole life hiding in the shadows, avoiding Emplate dectection. How long did you live your life like this?" 

The boy just sighed and said, "My mother took me took find a way to stop all of this. For almost a month, we hid in the Cale ancesteral home and searched for a clue on how to defeat Skitz and Penance, or to find some way to reverse it. In the logs was something about a creature called Ouroboros. It is supposed to be able to send stuff back in time, according to legend. My mother thought that if we found the creature, we could stop all this from happening." 

Hank eyed the boy suspiciously and said, "You're saying a magical creature brought you to save the two kids." 

The boy sat back and said in a calm voice, "It was much weirder than that. The moment we found the creature, Skitz and Penance slaughtered my mother. I watched in fear and anger. At the moment they looked at me, I thought I was going to die. Then I saw something in Skitz' eyes. It was a look of regret. It also had a mixture of hope in it. It looked like the two were communicating mentally. My mother had said that they did it alot before they were captured. They both told me to stop all this from happening, told me to save them." 

Bishop just said, "And that's how you came to the museum. You came back in time to stop Emplate from getting Richard and Penance." 

The boy nodded and said, "Yes, and after I knocked Emplate and that woman with him away from them, I was half tempted to kill them. I didn't want to run the risk of them becoming Emplates, but the rest of Gen X got into the room. I could see the fear in their eyes, and I realized they weren't afraid of me, they were afraid of almost everything." 

Hank nodded and said, "Which is why Gen X brought them here? To help break them out of the fear." The boy nodded. The boy was not very cooperative, but the boy had alot to sort out. Maybe time with Genereation X would help the boy tell more of his life. He hated to admit it, but Richard Cale's own ability might be enough to learn more about the boy, and his ability. Hank stood and said, "We will have to talk later. Sean and Emma want us to help Penance and Richard over come this fear they have developed." With that, the three of them left the room. 


	34. Friend Or Foe

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Reflections On The Emplate War 

Friend or Foe 

Sean was grateful when he saw Emma comming down the hall with Jean. He knew that Jean was probably the only mutant that could break through Penance's psyonic blocks, but Rich's ability needed to wear off. That was why the two were placed in seperate rooms after Emma managed to make them sleep. However, they didn't expect that they would be so violent when they awoke, but he figured that this should have been the expected reaction. He almost jumped when he heard the two simultanious crashs. At that time Emma said, "Did they wake up?" 

He was surprised at the plain dumbness in the question, but he didn't want to make a snap remarks. He just said, "No doubt about it, and they aren't to thrilled. They came close to being captured by Emplate." 

There was another crash at the door he was at and Jean said, "I think right now they only feel safe together." Sean had figured that much out already. "I honestly don't know if seperating them is a good thing. For all they know, they could have been abducted by Emplate, or they may fear everyone." 

Emma nodded and said, "It would explain their reactions. They are acting just like Yvette did when we first found her." Sean remembered all that. He also remembered how cut up his hands got that day. 

With another loud crash, Jean said, "Do you think they know their safe?" 

Sean shruged and said, "I don't think they feel safe. Those two have relied on each other for that feeling of safety. Also, they are going to be worse to handle when Rich's ability wears off." 

When there was another crash at the doors, Sean heard the unmistakable voice of Hank McCoy. "It appears that our two guests aren't thrilled that they are seperated." 

Sean looked at him and said, "What did ye find out about their rescuer?" 

Hank looked at the boy, then back at him and said, "The boy comes from a very grim timeline. In his timeline, Richard and Penance are evil Emplate's much worse than the original." Sean felt like he shouldn't have asked the question. Hank then said, "But apparently, something happened and both Richard and Penance let the boy go rescue them." Sean was about to say something when Hank said, "Right now, though, I think it might be best to get him and Richard to talk. Richard might be able to let us know some stuff. Darrett, the boy in question, never revealed his ability, nor did he mention his parents, but something tells me that they are some of the kids in Generation X." Sean noticed that Hank had said this softly, which meant that it could possibly create a problem amonst the students. 

Sean looked at his friend and said, "Hank, do ye have any idea on how to calm those two down." There was another crash at the door to punctuate his sentance. He glanced over at the door that the girls were at. The last crash had knocked Jubilee and Paige down, but Monet and Daria were still standing. 

Hank just looked at Jean as she said, "I can calm Yvette down psyonically, but I'll have to block their link. It might take some more strength to stop Rich. I'm surprised at all the strength he's exhibiting now." 

Sean heard Angelo say, "You never saw him when he let loose on Sean's cousin." Sean shuddered at that. That was a show of Rich's full fury, and that was what was going on now. 

"Maybe I could help in that department," said a gruff voice. Sean turned and saw Logan standing there. He looked at the door of the room Rich was in and said, "Sounds like the boy is going to throw something big. Better brace yourselves." Sure enough, Sean heard a loud crash, and saw all but Mondo fall. 

Mondo grunted and said, "If I hadn't of taken on the qualities of this door, I think we would have had a problem." 

Sean noticed that everyone nodded and said, "Logan, do you think you can calm Rich down. Ye aren't always the level thinker of this bunch." 

Logan looked at him and said, "Irish, I'm the one with a healing factor. If I get injured, I can recover faster than anyone else here can." Sean had to admit that Logan was right. 

Sean noticed that Jubilee was getting up, as she said, "I think you can do it Wolvie, just don't hurt him too much." Sean knew that in Jubilee's eyes, at times, Logan was like a father. 

With another crash at the doors, Logan just said, "I don't think you have to worry about him getting hurt too much." There was a quiet bit of laugther from the group. 

Jean then said, "Ok, I'm going to try to calm Yvette down. Logan be ready to go in." Sean just watched as Jean went into a psyonic trance.

* * *

All she wanted was to be safe. That was all Yvette wanted after the attack at the museum, and now she only felt safe with her boyfriend, Rich. They were rescued at the last second by a mysterious person, but why, and who had he been. They were terrified, was this a new Emplate, someone from Rich's past. He looked at them with a sort of hatred. Then, Emma had put them to sleep. Rich had thought it was Emma's doing, but she could only convince them to sleep. When she woke up, Yvette saw she was in a room, with furniture, and Rich wasn't there. She didn't know where Rich was, or if she was a prisoner somewhere. She called out, {Rich, where are you?} 

There was an answer. {Yvette, I'm locked in a room, somewhere. I don't know where we are, but I don't feel safe. Maybe we can break the doors down, and find each other.} 

She reached over and grabbed a chair and said {Agreed, I feel safe when I'm with you.} 

His voice sound like a reassurance already, {As do I, my love.} She had flung the chair at the door, and the door didn't give. She reached for another chair when she heard him say, {This was too close at the museum. I think I'd rather keep one ability, and I'd want it to be yours.} 

She felt honored that Rich would sacrifice his ability just for their safety. She just called back and said {I'd be honored by that, my love.} She then continued to break down the door to the room she was in. She truely felt that she wasn't safe unless she was with Rich. As she went to grab something heavy to break the door down, she felt strange, as if she was out of her body. 

When she blinked her eyes, she wasn't in the room anymore, but what looked like outerspace. She couldn't believe she was there and breathing. She started to wonder how she was out there and went to call to Rich when a voice said, [He won't hear you, Yvette.] She turned to see the form of Jean Grey floating no more than a few feet in front of her. 

She looked furiously at Jean and said, [What did you do to him?] She couldn't believe that the woman who helped them earlier, would turn on them. 

Jean held up her hands and said, [Nothing, Yvette. We're talking on the Astral Plane, something Rich and you can't reach unless you get some training. The reason behind this is to get Rich to calm down, and maybe allow you two to be less afraid.] 

[Less afraid, you want us to be less afraid after what happened to us?] Yvette shook her head in pure disbelief. [You don't know what it is like to be a servant of that maniac. I'd rather that Rich and I disappear to someplace Emplate would never find us.] 

Jean slowly moved closer to her. [Are you sure that's what you both want, Yvette? Wouldn't you both miss your friends here? And what about the next time, if someone that you two can't handle attacks?] 

Yvette stopped for a moment and realized what Jean was saying. She was still scared, but she had calmed down. [We weren't thinking straight, were we?] She saw Jean nodded and she then said, [I worry about Rich. I mean, he means so much to me, and I know I mean so much to him. What are we going to have to do?] 

Jean took her hand and said, [Yvette, he needs to know he's safe with Generation X. You can help in that, but he needs to develop his skill. He won't be developing it if he holds your ability all the time. Now, someone is trying to help Rich right now, but I think Rich is angry.] 

Yvette's eyes widens. She could tell that in Rich's voice that he was upset. [You got to stop them. Rich might hurt them.] 

Jean smiled and said, [We figured on that, and one of Jubilee's friends is going in.] 

Yvette looked at Jean and said, ['Sister's' friend. You mean 'Wolvie'.] As Jean nodded, Yvette started to worry about Rich, and then started to worry about 'Wolvie'.

* * *

Rich had lost contact with Yvette. What happened to her? Was she ok? This only increased his fury to get out of the room he was in. He picked up a large chair and said {Yvette, I'm coming to save you.} He didn't know if she was hurt, or if something bad was happening to her. 

Rich flung the chair at the door, but he could tell that it shattered before it hit the door. When he glanced, he saw a figure there. It must have entered when he was picking up the chair and throwing it. He looked at the figure with a curious fury. He didn't know who it was, but the gruff voice didn't sooth his nerves any. The man just said, "Wouldn't want you to try that again, might hurt someone." 

Rich glanced at the figure and said, "Where is Yvette?" Something about the person seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. 

The figure said, "She's talking with Jean, now calm down." Jean, was that Jean Grey this figure spoke of, but if so, why couldn't she speak to him, and vice versa. 

He glanced at the figure standing in front of him and said, "Let me see her." It was more a demand, but he could tell that the figure wasn't scared. 

The figure shook his head and said, "Sorry, Rich, but I can't let you do that. You need to calm down a bit before you see her." This man was telling him when he would calm down. This man didn't know how much better he would feel when he saw Yvette. 

Rich grabbed another chair and heived it at the figure. "I want to be sure she's safe. I don't want to lose her." He saw the three claws come out of each hand. The chair was cut in half before he could blink. Now he knew who this was. He looked at the figure and said, "Wolverine, right." 

The figure moved forward abit and said, "Yep, and you must be the one they call Skitz." He backed away from the figure, instinctavely. He was afraid, but right now he was afraid of everything. 

He looked at the figure and said, "Listen Wolverine, let me see Yvette. I don't want to hurt you." That was the honest truth. All he wanted was to be safe, and he only felt safe with Yvette. 

Wolverine just moved forward again and said, "Calm down. Beside, some of what you can dish out, I can take. What if it was Sean, or one of your school mates?" Wolverine had hit home. Wolverine could take what he might dish out, but he had a healing factor, no one in Gen X had that healing factor. Wolverine then said, "It doesn't feel good when you kill, does it." 

He looked at Wolverine and said, "H-h-how d-d-did y-y-you kn-n-now?" He shook from the memory of that day. 

Wolverine said, "You're looking at someone who has done that. It still haunts me." 

Rich looked at Wolverine and asked the question, "How do you cope with that? I keep hearing Black Tom Cassidy's voice, taunting me over what I did. It's like his spirit won't let me forget." Rich then noticed for the first time that Yvette's ability was leaving him. 

Wolverine looked at him and said, "Listen, I don't know if this will help you, but try using your ability on me. Maybe that will help you find a way to cope with that pain." Wolverine must have noticed him losing Yvette's ability. Rich decided to try. He slowly move toward Wolverine. As he neared the mutant, he felt something growing in his hands. It was painful, especially when the claws shot out. Then, he started to feel all of Logan's memories find a place in his mind. He staggered back, from all the confusion that entered his mind from Logan's. He couldn't sort it all out. It overwhelmed him so that he staggered backward. He felt the link go, but he fell back and passed out from the confusion.

* * *

Emma could only watch as she saw Jean open the door to the room that Penance was in. As Jean did so, Emma watched Yvette walk out of the room. She appeared less afraid then before, but she was still was scared. Emma walked over to the girl and said, "How are you, Yvette?" 

Yvette looked at her with her blue eyes and said, "Fine, but how is Rich?" Emma could now, more than ever, see the love for Rich in Yvette's eyes. 

She was about to say something when she heard the door to the room Rich was in open. Out came Logan, carring Rich. "He'll be fine. Just give him a moment to come too." 

Emma could tell that Yvette was getting upset, due to the fact that her hair started to spike. "What did you do to him?" 

Emma was about to do something when Jubilee stepped up and said, "Penny, Wolvie wouldn't hurt Rich. If anything, Rich might have passed out on his own." Emma swore that Jubilee was taking a big risk there, but then that might have been the only way to get through to Yvette. 

Emma then looked at Logan and said, "What did happen?" She was concerned for Rich as well. She hoped that Logan didn't causing any major damage. 

Logan placed Rich on the floor and said, "He linked with my ability, found out alot about me. He mind just couldn't cope with all the info, I guess." He started to walk down the hall. Emma then noticed that the new boy stood next the figure. She watched with fasination. That was very interesting, there were no visible signs or Rich accepting the boy's abilities. Could the link with Logan might have done something. 

She walked over to Hank and said, "Could you do an EEG on Rich? I think his linking with Logan might have affected him in a benoficial way?" 

Hank nodded and picked up Rich. As he walked away, Sean walked over to her and said, "Emma, why did ye ask him that?" 

She decided to let everyone know her suspicions. She gathered everyone around and said, "When Rich joined us, he said he was an epileptic. We all saw what happened when he accepted an ability unwillingling." Every nodded, and then she continued, pointing at the new kid, "When he approached, there was nothing. No reaction at all." 

Jubilee's eyes went wide as it appeared that she was getting what Emma said. "You think that while Rich had Wolvie's ability, it healed his Epilepsy." 

Emma nodded and said, "Exactly, but we can't be sure until Hank is done with the EEG. If that worked, it could mean alot to Rich." She knew that Rich excepted the fact he was epileptic, but it might make things easier for him if it was cured. 

* * *

Yvette paced through the room. She was worried about this test Emma wanted done on Rich. She didn't know how he would be after it. How much of an affect would this have on him? Soon, Jubilee said, "I think you should calm down Penny." 

Yvette looked at her surigate sister and said, "I can't help it. I'm worried about him. Besides, if it would be Everett in there, you'd be pacing." She watched Jubilee nod. Jubilee knew she was right. She then notice the new kid. He looked a bit pained. She wondered if she should thank him for saving them back there, but she feared him. It was something in his eyes. 

Soon a door opened. She half expected it to be Rich, but it was Hank McCoy. He looked at everyone and then said, "All is the same as it was before. Logan's healing factor failed to correct the problem. As for why Richard didn't react to Darrett's proximy is due to the fact that he is unconscious. He will awaken soon, though, so all will be well." 

Yvette stepped forward and said, "May I wait by his side?" 

His face was kind as he said, "You may, but I wish to speak with you." As she walked in, she notice that he motioned Emma and Sean in. When he closed the door, he then said, "I wanted to talk mainly to all of you about Darrett. He might will be disorientated for a while, and he will be on edge." 

Sean then said, "Why is it, Hank? Is it about what you said earlier?" 

She noticed Hank nodded and then said to her, "I don't want this to alarm you, but in the time Darrett grew up in, Emplate's composed the planet, and they were led by Richard and you." 

Yvette nearly gasped. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "What do you mean?" 

Emma put a hand on her shoulder and said, "In another timeline, you and Rich didn't get rescued. That could have been the outcome." 

Yvette, a little shook up, said, "Then who sent him back?" She was afraid that it would be Emplate. Having lost his control, he might do such a thing. 

Hank then said, "Your future selves. They allowed him to rescue you two. I figure it must have been the last action of what was left of your conscience and sanity in that timeline." 

Yvette heard a quiet voice say, "Or destiny." She turned to see Rich had started to wake up. She ran over and kissed him. As she stopped, he said, "I saw his face in a dream, just before Emplate attacked us. Maybe we knew he could save us, and sent him back." 

She watched as Hank thought about that. "It is an intreguing possibility. Well, I figure you all will want to go back to the school." He started to leave then turned and said, "By the way, Sean, here are the documents you wanted." She watched as he handed some papers to Sean. 

Her own curiosity got the best of her. She want to know what they were. "What are those papers for?" 

Emma smiled and said, "Sean had set up a legal adoption form. Now it's official." 

She wondered about that as Sean showed her the paper. It had her name on it. As she looked over it, she heard Rich say to her in her mind {My love. Sean has legally made you his daughter.} 

She glance at him and asked, "Is this true? I'm your daughter now." There was a tear in her eyes. She couldn't remember her father anymore. 

Sean then said, "Aye lass, it's true." She was so happy. She had her boyfriend, her freedom, and now a father. Maybe now, she could have a normal life. 


	35. Jailbreak

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Catch A Sound Wave 

Jailbreak 

The janitor did his rounds with no cares. He knew that this prison for mutants had the best security. It was designed by a mutant. He hadn't lived long in the city of Easton, but he had been there long enough to learn about some of the rules. He didn't much care. He had a good job, a nice life. They paid him well to clean the halls, but then, it was a high risk area. Many times, he had mopped this floor. Today, however, was different. He snuck his walkman into work. They forbid stuff like that, but it was well hidden. Hidden under his shirt, the wire was well hidden. The volume was very low. He approached the one section of the prison. He noticed a few times that there were signs that read, "No humming, no singing, no music of anykind, except hard rock." That was odd that they would allow that noise, but not the good stuff, like Billy Joel, who he was listening to right now. 

As he passed by the guard in the area, he started sweeping by the cells. As he got to the farthest cell, he heard a voice say, "Hey, watcha listening to?" He stopped dead in his tracks. He turned back to look at the guard. The guard wasn't moving. The voice then said, "Not back there, in here." He quickly turned to face a guy, around 21-22 years in age, in the cell. The man was just lying on the cot as he said, "What are you listening to?" 

He froze and slowly said "Nothing." He noticed that the prisoner eyed him with what might be called a predator's eye. This felon never took notice of him before. Why now? 

The felon just looked at him and said, "Listen, I hear the beat. What did you do, smuggle a tape player in here?" The guy just reached throught the bars. He tried to back away, but the arm kept reaching. When it finally grabbed him, he was pulled to the bars so fast he hit them hard. He quickly saw the felon holding his walkman, and the guard was having a panic attack. He then blacked out from the pain.

* * *

Davis Skinur put the walkman on. He heard the sound of sweet music. Five years in this cell, and he had never heard a song, until the idiot janitor brought in the music. He noticed that the guard was now in a panic. Of course he knew why. Soundwave was about to break out. Almost instantaniously, the bars disappeared. It was his doing as he watched the janitor fall to the floor. He turned and watched the guard fumble for his gun. He shifted the music in the walkman and he heard a new song. He smiled and said to the guard, "Hello Irving." As the guard pulled his gun out, the gun turned and shot him three times. Davis smiled. "The Ballad of Irving" was funny, especially when a cop got gunned down. He then brought the bars back, killing the janitor. No big loss. The janitor had no mind. He heard the sirens start. He hated noise. He quickly pumped up the music and phased out of the prison. When he finally got away from the prison, he turned and faced the city and said, "Look out, Rich. It's payback time." 


	36. Bonds Of Trust

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Catch A Sound Wave 

Bonds of Trust 

It was quiet at the Xavier School. A while ago, Yvette Cassidy, as her name was now since Sean adopted her, would have enjoyed a movie with her boyfriend. Of course that was before the museum, before their near abduction. Now they had started to live for the day. A few times, someone one had caught them kissing for too long. They were still scared to be apart, but Sean and Emma took precautions. Now it was a Friday night. She knew that Rich was hoping to treat her to a movie. She had hoped it would have been one they could watch alone, no one from the school around. That was then. Now they were sitting at a table, playing Clue with Jubilee, Everett, Monet, and Darrett, the new boy. The only advantage they had was that they still had their mental link. {My love, any ideas?} She asked through the link they shared. 

Although Rich wore a poker face, his mental voice said it all. {Monet is to blame. She killed Tim Curry, in the place to eat, with the weapon that killed the Telegram Girl.} She had watched the film with Rich twice already, and knew what the answer was. 

Monet looked at her and said, "Well Penny, what are you going to do?" She just smiled at her former captor's sister. 

She stood up and in a proud voice said, "I accuse Ms. Scarlett in the Dining Room, with the Revolver." 

A voice came from the back of the room. It was Emma Frost's. "Very good, Yvette, now I want you to solve it without Richard's help." Yvette was shocked that Emma knew. She watched as Emma took the cards and started to shuffle them, picking out a Person, Place and Thing. When she finished, she beckoned Rich to the couch. Yvette watched as her boyfriend moved away from the table and sat on the couch. She knew it was best for him, but she wanted to be with him. 

She heard Darrett comment, "Should have know they'd cheat." 

She was about to hit the boy as Angelo sat down and said, "Don't judge them for what they had done in your past. Rich and Yvette are some of the best mutants here." She nodded with what Angelo said. She turned and saw Rich had reached for his Gameboy. She had gotten him a Color one for Christmas. She could tell by the red cartridge in it that he was continuing his Pokemon game. 

The same game played out, but it was interrupted when she saw Sean enter with the rest. On her adoptted fathers face, she saw a look of urgency. She listened as he said, "Hank just called. E' said we might want to see the news." 

She had a little fear in her voice as she said, "What's wrong?" 

She noticed that his look was grim as he said, "Hank just said we had better turn it on." She watched as he picked up the remote and activated the TV. It was as if no one was playing the game. The picture on screen had a prison on it. 

She noticed that everyone listen with intense intrest as the voice on the TV said, "What you see is the prison outside the city of Easton. The rescent upset here was caused by a prison break. The escapee, like most of the prisoners here, is an evil mutant. Easton is a known safe haven for mutants. An FBI agent reporting here at the time gave this statement." The image switch to that of a man with dark hair and what looked to be a young face. 

Yvette watched intensly, but heard Rich say in their mental link, {No, it can't be.} She looked in his direction and could see it in his form that he was scared. He was shaking like a leaf. 

The man said, "The FBI believes that Soundwave, as he likes to call himself, is nowhere in the area at the time. The key witness that helped in his apprehension and gave the testimony that sent him to prison is not in Easton at this time. We ask that all law enforcers help us apprehend Soundwave. If you see him, approach him with Hard Rock music. He hates noise. He can't use it. All that we can reveal about the witness' location is that he is up in the New England area." Yvette heard a door slam. She turned to see Rich had left the room. 

Sean just said, "I think Hank suspected as much. Remember after Elane's attack that Hank interviewed Rich for his files. I think it has something to do with that breakout." 

A mocking voice in the room said, "It has everything to do with it." Yvette, as well as the others, turned to face Darrett. "In my time, Soundwave was one of the worse in the army." Everyone knew that Darrett had saved her and Rich, but they also knew that Darrett was from a future where she and Rich were evil Emplates. It sent a chill through her body everytime she thought of it. 

Emma looked at Darrett and said, "What do you know of this Soundwave character?" 

The boy just said, "Enough. He was one of the worse in their army. He qualified as second in command. He resented his spot and situation, but he knew he didn't dare chance a conflict. You see, according to story, Rich and Soundwave were at one time friends, but Soundwave attempted to frame Rich for his own crimes. Rich helped in the apprehension of Soundwave and testified at the trial. Soundwave was put away for life." 

Yvette realized what that meant. Rich was afraid for his life. She knew now why Rich disappeared. She looked at Darrett and said, "How crazy is he?" 

Darrett looked at her and said, "He's been in prison, without interaction with anyone. He's probably demented by now. When he was broken out in my time line, he was an affective enforcer, but was mentally out of it." The boy started to leave the room and said, "He was also very 'lonely', if you catch my drift." The boy had left and Yvette could have sweared that everyone had shuddered when he said that. She didn't like the tone that word carried. 

She heard Everett say, "That boy freaks me out. Sean, did Hank say who his father was?" She had to admit that she knew very little about the future boy, and she didn't trust him. 

Her father said, "Hank never said. He had his reasons." She looked at him and wondered what secrets her father was hiding from them. She then wondered where her love had gone into hiding. She decided to check his room in the boy's door.

* * *

Jubilee noticed as Yvette started out the door. They all had been instructed to pay close attention to where both Yvette and Rich were. There was still an underlying fear that Rich would try and keep Penny's abilities. She motioned to the others at the table, "I think we better follow her." Jubilee had once walked in on one of their long kisses. She at times wished that Ev would kiss her like that, but she knew that would probably wait. Lately, both Rich and Yvette were trying to live for the moment. She had caught a glimse of them looking over the movie section of the paper. They were trying to pick a movie to watch. That's why she decided on the Clue game. Stop them before they leave. Now, the news of this Soundwave character freaked Rich out. 

She noticed Sean was behind her, Everett, Monet and Angelo. He said, "Think she's going to try to find out something." She noticed the look on Sean's face. It was touched with worry. A worry that one might have about a teenage daughter. 

She just nodded, not knowing what to say. Monet then said, "I hope that Darrett is wrong about how viscious this Soundwave is. Something tells me the way he put it, that Soundwave has no regard for others." 

Everett just said, "He's been in jail for a while. I'm more worried what he might due to certain people here." Jubilee realized what he meant. She shuddered at the thought. 

She just said to Everett, "That scares me to blazes." She looked up at Sean and noticed that his face had gone pale. She then said, "I think Penny might have gone to talk to Rich. He looked pretty shook up." 

As they entered the boy's dorm, Jubilee noticed Penny was standing at the door to Rich's room. As they approached, Jubilee looked in to see a sight she had never seen. She just heard Penny go, "He's terrified. I don't want to go near him. He's had that all his life, a piece of his youth, his innocence." Jubilee saw that Rich was sitting on his bed, indian style, and clutching what looked like a blanket. 

She noticed that Sean stepped forwards and said, "Let me talk to the lad, alone." She noticed that everyone left the door, except Penny. She didn't want to pressure her into leaving. She just stepped back and allow everything to play out.

* * *

He knew they were there, but he didn't care. He was too scared to care. Davis was loose. The courts assured him that Davis wouldn't escape, but he did. He still remembered that day in court. Davis telling him that he would kill him when he got free. He was scared for his own life, more scared than he had been of Emplate and Aura. Then it hit him, Yvette was in trouble, too. Davis would kill her too, and maybe even Gen X. He shuddered as the thought crept through his mind. He almost jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was so focused on his fears that he hadn't noticed Sean's ability had kicked in on him until the Irishman put a hand on his shoulder. He also saw Yvette still in the doorway. She was worried, and he could tell. Sean just said, "What happened, lad? Darrett told us a tale, but what's true about it?" 

Rich looked at his teacher, and as of recently, his girlfriend's father and told him the truth. "He was at one time my friend, at least I thought he was. Soundwave, or as his real name Davis Skinur, was a high school friend of mine. I never knew what he was until the day at the bank, due to the amount of mutants at our school. You see, the news mentioned Soundwave everyday, and no place had a clear picture of him. He had pulled off robbery after robbery, and crime after crime. To Davis, it was a daily game. The FBI was called in. One day they managed to corner him, at the main branch of a local bank. I was there, running an errand for my parents. I was surprised when I saw who Soundwave was. Davis had me taken aside and planned to send me out in his place. He wanted to frame me for his crimes." 

Sean just looked at him, "What happened lad? How did ye stop him?" 

Rich swallowed and said, "I learned about my ability a bit more than I had known. I used his own ability against him. I manipulated him and his gang out in to the police's hands. The FBI man rushed in and I almost collapsed. It was a great strain on me. The trial happened a few days later." 

He saw his beloved walk over to him and say, "What happened?" She was concerned, and she had right to be. 

"When I testified, Davis had no chance of an innocent verdict. He vowwed vengence on me. He said that he'd kill me. He actted crazy, for he said that someone named Big Blue wanted it that way. I was scared, that's why I left Easton, but the FBI always tried to protect me." He sighed. "It's going to do no good now. Davis is going to find me. He's going to kill me. He's a mad man, and I can't imagine what incarceration has done to him." 

He felt Yvette hug him as she whispered in his ear, "Protect me, please." She was afraid of Davis, too. He went to return the hug, but was afraid of what Sean would say. He lightly hugged her and looked at Sean. 

He saw Sean look back and say, "It's alright, but don't get carried away. I don't want to force you two to break up." He nodded and hugged his beloved a little tighter. He noticed as Sean left the room. He sighed a bit in relief. He always worried about how Sean would treat their relationship now that Yvette was his legal daughter. His thought was cut short when Yvette kissed him on the lips. 

When she stopped, he said, "How about that movie?" That was their original plans for the evening. Something nice, they were going to try and see a film with Matthew Broderick in it, but Jubilee waylaid them with Clue. 

She smiled and said, "We were going to go see that Matthew Broderick film. Any suggestions?" He smiled as he went over to a shelf and pulled out a tape. 

He put the tape in and said, "Well, he's a scientist in this one." He kissed her, knowing that Sean trusted their judgement enough to let them be alone for a while, as the film started. They just watched the film as they laid on the top of his bed. 

* * *

Davis stood at the front of store in Easton appalled at what he heard. The one who put him prison was far away. He was furious. Knowing Rich, the boy would only entrust the info with his family, but they would never tell anyone else where he was. Davis turned and faced the street. This was not going to be easy. He had to find a way to narrow down the search. He then heard a deep voice say "I heard you escaped. Can I trust you to get the job done this time?" 

He spun around and saw a blue face one of the TV's. It was Big Blue, the one who wanted him to frame and then kill Rich. He never understood why this man, or was he a mutant, wanted Rich killed. "If I can find him? He left town." 

The face just looked at him and said, "I'll give you some assistance, Davis, but you better not fail me." Davis nodded. He wanted to find Rich and get vengence. He didn't care why Big Blue wanted all of this done, but he did wonder about it. Big Blue then said to him, "You can find information at the residence of the X-Men. I trust you can get past their security." 

Davis had heard of the X-Men. He knew that they were mutants, but he was willing to fight them just to get the info he needed. "I'll do it. I'm sure they'll be no trouble at all for me." He didn't want to disappoint his boss again, although he knew almost nothing about Big Blue. 

The face smiled, and he felt a shiver. "See that you don't, or I may just have to reconsider your usefulness to me." The image disappeared and Davis sighed. He couldn't believe what he was going to do. It might be interesting to see how he can handle the X-Men. He let and evil smile cross his lips as he contemplated what to do to them if they tried to stop him. He took out a tape that he swiped, put it in 'his' walkman and flew off in the direction of New York, making a brief stop at his old hideout to get something. 

* * *

Emma walked with Sean down the hall of the boys dorm. "I can't believe how this is affecting Rich." She was worried that all this would turn around the slow progress that was made when they were rescued from Emplate. She also then thought about what Sean told her. That he had left Rich and Yvette alone. "I also can't believe that you left Rich and Yvette alone. You and I both know that they have been living for the day lately. You know what could happen." 

Sean looked at her and said, "True, but I trust them not to do anything stupid. I know that they love each other, and I know that Rich nor Yvette want to jeopardize that." She wished that she had the same faith that he had in the two. 

Emma listened as they headed down the hall. She heard a movie playing. "Are they watching a movie?" She remembered that Jubilee mentioned that they were planning that. She had a thought run through her head. What some couples do in movie theaters. "Oh no." She broke off into a run down the hall. Sean was closely on her tail. 

She heard him say, "What's wrong?" 

She just said, "Did you ever take a date to a movie, Sean?" She heard him pick up his pace. That idea had worried him. When they neared the door to Rich's room, they saw it was still open. She wondered why the door was open. She looked into the room and couldn't believe her eyes. On the TV, a movie was playing, but the two people in the room were fast asleep, on top of the bed. She stepped into the room and said, "I'm surprised." 

Sean followed her in and said, "I'm not. I trust the lad's judgement, and I trust me 'daughters' judgement. But I think that we should take Yvette back to her room." She watched as he went down to pick her up. She then thought about it what it might mean to the two. 

She stopped Sean and said, "No, I think for tonight, they should stay together. Let's just leave them a note." She saw the look he gave her and said, "We take her out of the room now, and Rich might panic. Last thing we want is for Rich to panic, especially since Davis escaped." 

Sean nodded and said, "Yur right. I just hope that they don't try to live for the moment." She looked as Sean picked up a patchwork quilt. He then said, "With all that is running through his mind, Rich probably feels his only escape is to be a kid again. Maybe it'll help calm him down, hope it does right now." She watched as Sean covered the two sleeping forms with it. She couldn't help but view them both as her own children. It was very unusual, but it fit. She turned off the TV and VCR, and they left the room, but not without posting a special psionic note in their brains. Only recently was she able to break through their language barrier. 

As they left the room and closed the door, she listened for a moment. She heard a different voice. One she never heard before. Before she mentioned it to Sean, she heard a second voice. She turned to Sean and said, "Darrett is talking to someone." This worried her. What if Davis, or this Soundwave as his name was now, was on the school grounds, and Darrett was helping him. 

Sean just nodded and said, "Let's see the boy." For once, she could have sworn that he read her mind. They headed off in the direction of his room.

* * *

Darrett just laid on his bed. He had company, but he knew who it was. He just said, "I don't think I can get use to this time line, Henry. I mean, it's too weird. Our savior in our time line is a madman in this time line. Skitz and Penance are good guys. There are too many things to mention." He sat up and looked at the figure sitting in the chair. He was, as usual, tinkering with a toy. 

The man was wearing the garb of a 1930's man of high wealth and almost renaissance taste. "Well, look at me. Where I came from, my victory turned into my failure. You change an event in time, and time rewrites itself. Some things remain the same, others change greatly." The man stop tinkering with the toy and threw it to Darrett. As he caught it, the man said, "It's like that little puzzle. There are many solutions, but with each choice the path is different." 

He fiddled with the puzzle and said, "Yes, I suppose that is true. I just wish I could use my knowledge to help more. I mean, now Soundwave is free. Any ideas on how to stop him. I mean you should know." 

The figure let out a slight cackle and said, "You have to do like I did. Manipulate him into defeating himself. That can help you, but I don't think you can. You see, Skitz and Penance aren't your enemies this time. They are your allies. All these people are." 

Darrett just looked at the figure and said, "Henry, it's hard to except. My father is dating one person, and my mother is interested in another. I don't know what to think." The figure walked over to him and put his hands on his shoulders. 

"Don't think about it. Remember you met Bishop. His timeline might be gone now. He's outside it. He's here and now. You're here and now. You are this timeline now. Adjust. Remember some the best plans need some adjusting." Darrett noticed that Henry stopped talking and looked at the door. He turned around to see who was at the door. It was Sean and Emma. 

Emma Frost looked at him sternly and said, "Who is that, Darrett?" Darrett lost his train of thought and the figure disappeared. "Where did he go?" 

Darrett figured he had to explain that much. "I brought him here. It's my ability. I summon certain beings. While I have them here, I control them. It only works on some beings." He hoped that they would understand. 

Sean Cassidy looked at him and said, "Alright, but who was that man? Was he someone you could summon?" 

Darrett nodded and said, "That was Henry. He is a toy maker. He's like a confidant I can keep. I summon him when I need to talk to someone about my problems." He noticed that Emma looked at him with hurt eyes. 

She walked over to him and said, "You can talk to us about your problems. Remember, we are all here to help you." He knew they wanted to help, but it was difficult to explain to them why. 

"Emma, I understand what you are saying, but there are so many things different I have to try and think them through. Just give me time." He watched as they nodded and left the room. He closed the door, locked it, and went to his bed. Maybe he need to sleep on the whole mess.

* * *

Everett had decided to spend some time with Jubilee. This whole upset with the idea of this Soundwave character had her a little upset. It had him worried as well. From what Darrett said, it had him very worried. That boy made him feel uneasy. It was as if the boy was judging him. He was lost on this thought when he heard Jubilee say, "Ya know Ev, I always thought I would have to worry about Sabertooth doing me in. Now, I don't know." 

Everett knew how scared Jubilee was of Sabertooth. Even back during the attack by the Phalanx, she didn't trust him. "Jubes, you don't have to worry about this Soundwave character. I'll protect you from him." That was true. He would protect her from anything. He'd risk his life to protect her from Emplate, Sabertooth and all the others that would harm her. 

Jubilee smiled at him. That was a good sign. She looked at him and said, "Ya mean it, Ev." 

He put his arms around her and said, "I'll protect you no matter what the risk." That was the truest statement he ever said. He looked deep in her eyes. He wanted to kiss her, and something told him that she was hoping he'd do the same. He decided to kiss her. 

It seemed that that thought attracted attention. He almost jumped when there was a knock at the door. On the other side came the voice of Paige, "Jubes, can Ah talk to you for a second." 

He looked at her and saw a heartbroken look on her face. She just sighed and said, "Yea, come on in." He let go of her as Paige walked in the door. 

He heard Paige gasp as she said, "Did Ah walk in on something?" He felt a little embarrassed by what she implied. 

Everett then said, "No. We weren't getting into that at all. I was trying to comfort Jubes about the threat of Soundwave." It was the truth. 

Paige sighed and he saw another person behind her. It was Jono. _"She was worried about that too. She was worried about what he might do to her, Jubilee, and all the other gels here."_ Everett watched as a look of fear washed over both girls faces. 

Everett just sighed and said, "We were just getting past all that Jono. I think we have to face facts that we have a real problem to deal with. I know that we don't have to worry much about what he might do to all of us. We have to worry what he might do to Rich and Yvette. They are going to get the full force of Soundwave's fury." 

He heard Paige gasp as she said, "My Gawd, you're right. Rich is the real target, and Yvette will be in the line of fire." 

Jubilee looked up and said, "And we are just consolation prizes in Soundwave's little game of vengence." Everett watched as they all nodded in agreement. "This is not good. We have to help them, and it puts us in a great risk area. We don't even know much about Soundwave. We don't have a photo or anything." 

Everett smiled and said, "I think we might. Yvette will know because of the memories she and Rich have shared, but I remember seeing a high school yearbook in Rich's room. We might have an answer there." 

They were all surprised when they heard Emma Frost say, "Good thinking, Everett. I wish I had thought of it while Sean and I were in there." 

Paige was first to say, "Why were you in his room?" 

Emma just said, "His TV was on. He and Yvette got to see part of a movie. They weren't paying attention to it as much as they were earlier." 

He swore that the same thought was running through everyone else's mind that was running through his. "You mean they were...." He didn't want to say what he suspected, but they all knew what he meant. 

Emma just said, "No. They were laying on top of his bed, fast asleep. We left them together because if they woke up seperated, Rich might fear that Soundwave is here. I planted a mental note in their minds saying what Sean and I did." 

Everett looked at her and said, "What about making sure he doesn't try to keep her ability?" 

He notice that Emma gave him a nasty glance as she said, "Which do you want to deal with, Everett, Rich trying to hold an ability, or Rich scared out of his wits because Yvette isn't around when she was around?' He understood what she meant. She then said, "Now, I think it is all time for you to go to bed." She left the room and everyone followed. 

Everett stopped and turned around to face Jubilee. "Sleep well. I won't let anything happen to you." When she smiled, he turned and left. Next time, he figured, they might get a chance to kiss goodnight. 

* * *

She looked at the clock. 2 AM. She had been laying in this room since she went to bed. The thought about this Davis fellow kept preoccuping her mind. Monet St. Croix wondered if it had anything to do with Claudette, her 'twin' sister that inhabited the form with her. She didn't want to say anything to anyone about it. No one here needed to know that her sister would help Marius at any chance she got. She couldn't help but wonder if Claudette was thinking of informing Marius of this, or even helping Soundwave. She was thinking about this when she heard the voice of her sister pipe up in her head [Wondering who'd I help, dear sister?] 

Monet hated how her sister would do that. [That has been racking my mind, Claudette. I would not be surprised if you informed Marius to meet this Soundwave character.] She hated how her sister admired Marius. 

Her sister just laughed and said, [You think you're so brilliant, yet you are so blasted stupid. Marius and his beloved wants Rich and Yvette alive, they don't want two corpses. If anything, I'd ask them for help to stop Soundwave, although I'd like to see what chaos this guy can cause.] 

She couldn't belief what Claudette just said to her. [Do you know what he might do to all of Gen X? He might kill us, or worse.] 

She heard her sister laugh again. [You're terrified of this aren't you. I hope he does do something mean to you. Let's see, he's been in prison for a few years and is crazy and demented. I like the sound of that.] 

Monet hated that and then realized something. [If he does anything to me, he's doing it to you too.] Her sister stopped laughing. Now there was a different feeling all together. Her sister was scared, and she was now happy at that. She was happy that her sister finally realized the trouble they were in. At that moment, she finally got to sleep. 


	37. Close To Home

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Catch A Sound Wave 

Close To Home 

Rich slowly awoke that morning. He only remembered part of the film. He remember kissing Yvette and not to long after that he, and her, fell asleep. As he openned his eyes, he felt something over him. He glance down to see he and Yvette were covered with his patchwork quilt. He wondered how that got there when he heard it. It was Emma's voice. [Richard, Sean and I noticed your door was open last night. We saw the two of you sound asleep. We figured that you two hadn't done anything.] Rich mentally agreed with that. The farthest they had gone was a whole string of kisses. The voice continued, [Sean wanted to take Yvette back to her room, but given the current circumstances, I thought it would be a bad move. Sean placed the cover on you two, while I shut down everything you had on. Just behave for now, we have a few things to talk about dealing with this Soundwave character.] 

He shuddered after hearing that, being careful not to tense up. He then felt something move along his side. He then realized that it was Yvette's arm. He felt her hold him closer as she said, {Morning. I see Emma and 'Father' took care of things last night.} He felt a light kiss on his cheek. 

He turned around and faced her. {Yes, they did.} He returned the kiss on her cheek. He was happy to see her smile. {Emma wants to talk to me more about Soundwave.} 

He noticed a worry look cross her face and an upset look in her eyes as she said, {Why didn't you ever tell me about all this?} 

He sighed out loud and said, {Cause I thought it was over. When the trial ended, and Davis was put up the river, I was assured he would never escape. I went on to lead a normal life. I never told you how afraid I was of Davis because I never thought he would escape. Now he's free. That is one of the reasons that when I came here, no one knew I was here.} 

She held him closer when she said her next words. {Are you worried about me, about what he'd do to me?} 

He nodded and said, {I am very scared for you, my love. Davis was a major womanizer in school. He only thought of one thing. I'm afraid of what incarceration has done to his mind in that area.} He noticed that she was on the verge of tensing up in fear. He tossed away the quilt that was covering them and held her close. While their clothes were immune to her abilities, the bedding wasn't. He held her and said softly and aloud, "I won't let him do anything to you. I won't let anyone hurt you again. I love you too much to let that happen to you." He noticed that she had calmed down. He held her for a little until she signal that she wanted him to let go. 

He heard her whisper in his ear, "I know, my love. I hope we stay together forever." With that she started to kiss him. It was a series of short kisses down his neck. He returned it the same way. She said in their mind link, {I thought it might help get your mind off this problem.} 

He brought her face to his as he said, {It does help a little, but we have to be careful. We don't want to go to far.} 

She smiled and said, {I know. I wasn't planning on it.} With that she kissed him on the lips. He returned it the same way. She smiled after he stopped the kiss and said, {When in Paris..} 

He smiled in return and said, {..do as the Parisian's do.} They both engaged in a french kiss. They didn't kiss that way too often, but they enjoyed it when they did. 

There was a knock at the door. That was the reason that they didn't french kiss too often. Everytime they would, something would happen to interrupt them. The voice at the door just said, "Richard, Yvette, are you two awake?" He recognized the voice. It was Emma. She probably knew they were awake, but they had to answer. 

Rich got up off the bed as Yvette sat up. They were still in the clothes they were wearing last night. He openned the door to see both Sean and Emma at the door. He just stepped back and said, "Come in." 

Sean walked in first and and looked at the two. He didn't seem to upset as he said, "I trust ye both slept well." 

Rich calmly said, "Yes. I'm sorry we fell asleep together, but.." He didn't know if Sean thought they would have tried anything. 

Sean just put his hand on his shoulders. "Lad, I have no doubt that ye wouldn't of tried anything. I just know that you care enough about Yvette that you wouldn't jeopardize it. And I know that she knows the same thing." 

He nodded and said, "I understand, sir." He noticed for the first time that he called Sean sir. He realized why he did that. He wasn't talking to Sean, the headmaster of the Xavier School, he was talking to Sean Cassidy, adopted father of his girlfriend. Since the adoption, Rich felt he had to answer to Sean for almost everything. 

Emma then said, "Rich, last night we were talking with some of the others about who to watch for. You said you went to school with Soundwave, and Everett said you had a yearbook." 

He knew what Emma was getting at. She wanted a picture of who they would be up against. He had to think for a moment where the book was. He then heard Yvette say, "Didn't you put that book with your computer books?" 

He smiled at her. "Thanks love. I didn't remember what I did with it." He went over to the blue bin where he kept all those books. He openned it and noticed that it would take a little time. He picked out each book in the bin and put it on the bed. After a few books were out, he heard a gasp. He turned around abit scared. He thought that Davis was there, but he wasn't. He did however notice a shocked look on Sean and Emma's face as they looked at his one computer book.

* * *

Sean couldn't believe what he saw. On the back cover of the book Rich just pulled out was the face of the man that Darrett was talking to. He heard Emma gasp and noticed that Rich heard the gasp as well. When he saw Rich look at them and then the book, he took a breath and said, "You scared me. I thought Davis was here." 

Sean had to say it. "No, but we are abit shocked by the face on that book," he pointed to the book where they saw the face. It was eerie, but no less than 12 hours ago, they had seen Darrett speaking to the same individual that was on the book. 

Rich looked at the book and said, "Henry Stauf, main character of the 7th Guest and 11th Hour, startled you two. He not real. He's a fictional computer game villian." He watched as Rich went back to searching through the books for the yearbook they had asked for. 

Emma then said the words he was just thinking. "He seemed real enough when we saw him talking to Darrett." He watched as Rich just stopped. Those words seemed to strike a nerve. This was something that bothered Rich on a deeper level, maybe deeper than the lad had thought. 

Rich turned around with a book in hand. Sean noticed it was the yearbook in question. As Rich walked over to them with it, the lad said, "You mean to say he was talking to Henry Stauf." 

Sean looked at the boy and said, "A bit more than that. He said he summoned him. He said he could summon up certain beings to fight for him. We just didn't suspect to see one of them in a picture, like that." 

Yvette looked at them all and said, "Do you think he can be a menace?" Sean noticed that his 'daughter' was a bit scared. 

Rich just said, "Henry is minor. I've always looked into understanding some villians and Henry is more Maciavellian. He likes to manipulate. He has power, but uses them passively. He uses them to influence and manipulate. Now if he summoned something else, we'd have alot to worry about." 

Sean understood what Rich meant. If this boy could evidently summon villianous characters, that could be a problem if he summoned something he couldn't control. He then heard Emma say, "Maybe we should have a session in the war room, to learn about Davis, and understand Darrett better." 

Sean nodded in agreement and turned to Rich and said, "Rich, would you come with me to the war room." He faced Yvette and said, "Yvette, you go with Emma and get the other kids, ok." He noticed the heartbroken look on her face. She wanted to go with Rich. He waited as Emma took Yvette with her out of the room and then left the room with Rich. When the two had headed of to one off the upper level, Sean led Rich out of the dorm and said, "Rich, did you ever mention your fear of Davis escaping to Yvette." 

The lad looked down, but Sean had an idea on the answer. "No. I thought it was all over. I didn't want anyone to know much more than Davis used to be my friend." Sean understood, in a way, what Rich said. Davis was a part of Rich's past that Rich hope would never come back. 

When they reached the war room, Sean turned and said to the lad, "Rich, what are you more worried about, yur own safety, or Yvette's safety?" Rich just looked away. It was a difficult question for the lad to answer. 

After a moment of thought, the lad finally turned to face him. The lad looked him square in the eye and said, "Sean, promise me one thing?" 

Sean looked at the boy and said, "It's alright lad. I know how much you two love each other. I won't try and seperate you, cause I know that it's probably the worse thing I could do to both of ye. I know it's a little hard for you because of the age difference, but I won't argue about it." 

The lad meekly smiled and said, "Thank you, sir. I'm am more worried about Yvette than myself, but I fear Davis might use that against me. He might use my love for her to get me. Threaten her and luring me into the line of fire. I don't want to give him the satisfaction of killing me, but I don't want him to hurt Yvette." The lad started to sob. It was a site one didn't see to often at the school, seeing Richard Cale cry. 

Sean held the lad and said, "It's alright. Remember, if Davis does attack, I've got the best hand." Rich looked at him and Sean smiled. "I've got quite a big mouth." The lad smiled. Sean was happy that that thought comforted Rich. He sat Rich down in a chair and started to use the yearbook to create a 3-D image of Soundwave.

* * *

Yvette continued along with Emma as her teacher went to the room now occupied by Darrett. This boy had some very dangerous powers if what he could do was real. She then wondered what it could translate into. When they neared the door to the boys room, she heard a whiney whimper. She heard it before. She stopped as Emma reached for the door. Emma looked at her and said, "What's wrong?" 

The thoughts ran through her mind. She prayed that she would get an answer with the question she was about to ask. "Emma, does Darrett have a television in there?" When Emma shook her head, she tensed up. She knew what was in there. 

She watched as Emma slammed the door openned. She peeked in to see a figure disappear, but Emma faced Darrett and said, "What did you summon this time?" Yvette slowly untensed as she cautiously stepped into the room. 

Darrett looked at the both of them and said, "Someone who can ease my nerves. The sound it makes is soothing." 

Yvette could hardly believe it. She almost yelled in rage as she said, "You call a Skeksis relaxing. You summon Henry Stauf and now a Skeksis. What's next, are you going to bring forth next, one of the monsters from that Quake game?" She felt a sharp pain in her head and she grabbed it as she collapsed to the ground. 

She knew what it was before Emma spoke. "Yvette, that was totally uncalled for." Yvette glanced up as Emma faced Darrett and said, "But, she has a point. How powerful is this summoning ability?" 

The boy looked at her, and then at Emma and said, "Not as powerful as it could be. The more dangerous entities don't listen or rebel. I found this out a few days ago. I tried to summon another gentleman, but he wouldn't listen to me. He said he was going to find his way home and get his son for what he did to him." 

Yvette could see the upset in Emma's eyes. She slowly got up and said, "How can you know if you're summoning something you can't control." She was honestly worried that the boy would make a mistake one day and bring something that would kill them all. 

Darrett shruged meekly and said, "I don't know." Yvette noticed that Emma shook her head. This wasn't a good thing to hear. 

Emma then said, "As of right now, Darrett, I only want you to summon this Henry character. Don't risk summonning any others until you get better at controling your ability. As for right now, we must all head to the War room." With that, Emma lead the way out of the room. Yvette made sure that she was right behind Emma, and saw that Darrett was following them. Even now knowing what Darrett's abilities were, she felt even more uncomfortable around him. 

* * *

Davis looked over the room. During his whole time in the building, he hadn't encountered an X-Man, which was good for him. He was in the room of his objective. The computer was right in front of him with the location of Richard Cale. He approached the computer. He took a look around and slowly approached the computer. He started typing at the console. In a short time, he came across what he was looking for. He read the data that the file contained. The words appeared on the screen but all he needed was location. He noticed a few words and said, "Generation X. Is that the group he calls friends now? Interesting." He figured that Generation X must be a less experienced group like the X-Men. He looked at something else which peaked his intrest. It was a cross-file reference, actually, a few of them. 

He jumped to the first one. It was that of a teenage girl, with red hair. Davis wondered if it was the red hair or something else entirely that caught Rich's eye. He read the name of the girl. Yvette Cassidy. He looked further down at the abilities. "Ouch," was all he could say. He continued reading to see that the two meant alot to each other. He then noticed that one of the names that was in Rich's file was in her file. Something called Emplate. 

He went to jump to that file when he heard a click, or it sounded like a click. He spun around to see a very gruff man, with claws coming from his hands, facing him. The man just said, "Kind of figured something like this would happen. Beast figured you wouldn't know where to go, so you'd come here to find Skitz." 

Davis had to admit, the man was right. "I had a little help from my employer. Now my question is, what are you going to tell the X-Men after I escape." 

Davis watched as the man charged him and said, "Nothing Bub, 'cause you ain't escaping." Davis started to laugh as he started the music to his sound machine. He watched as the man stopped in shocked and his body started moving of it's own accord. "Hey, what's happening?" was all the man could say. 

Davis walked up to the man and said, "Let's just say that for the time being, you're under my orders. You'll be doing the Macarena for a while, until someone stops the music." He stepped away from the man as he went over to the computer. It took him no time to set it up with an infinate loop of the Macarena. As he turned around, he said, "Tell your friends thank you for the info, and..." He pulled out a camera and snapped a photo of his victim, "thanks for the laugh." Davis laughed like a maniac and ran out of the X-Mansion. 

* * *

Daria ran out of her room at a full force bolt, actually a bit of fly. Daria had only learned about being able to fly at the museum. Now she was using it to get her to the meeting. When Emma sent out the psionic summons, she was in the shower. Daria wondered if Emma was awear of that. Her new persistant silver hair was plastered to her back as she few out of the dorm. She didn't realize how fast she was going until she hit Mondo. She realized what she had done and said, "I'm sorry, Mondo. I didn't mean to hit you." She helped the boy up. She had to admit that she thought Mondo liked her, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. She felt like she wasn't worth Mondo's feelings, if he had them about her. 

He smiled that almost ever present smile and said, "It's ok. I was just coming to check on you. When you hadn't shown up, we were all worried that you ignored the call." 

She smiled and replied, "I was getting ready." She didn't want to say that she was showering, although her hair probably told him that. She started walking towards the building that the war room was when she said, "I'm sort of worried about this. I mean, first it's Emplate and Aura, now this Soundwave character. I don't know if I can handle it." 

She felt Mondo put a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him as he said, "I thought that about my first few days here, but I found out I could. You shouldn't doubt yourself." She felt almost like she was going to faint. She wondered if Mondo shared the same feelings for her. 

She smiled and said, "Thanks." When he smiled back, she felt her heart skip a beat. She always thought that was a figure of speech. After abit, they arrived at the war room. 

As they entered, she heard Sean say, "So ye found her, lad." 

Mondo just smiled, and said, "She was in a hurry to get here. She had knocked me over just to get out the door." There was a light round of chuckles all around, except from Sean, Emma, the new kid, and Rich. Sean and Emma was obviously being serious about this. The new kid, Darrett, well nobody understood him. He seem so critical about everyone, especially her and she couldn't understand why. Rich was understandably nervous. 

She heard Monet speak up after the giggles subsided. "Is there a reason we are going to get to? I haven't had the best of nights." Daria noticed that Monet didn't look as perfect as she usually did. 

Jubilee just said, "Duh. You look like you and the sandman had a fight and he lost. What's wrong? Think Emplate might join forces with this Soundwave." There was a quiet in the air. Jubilee had said an uncomforting thought. 

Angelo just said, "That has got to be the worst thing you ever thought, chica. We had trouble handling Elane and Emplate, I don't think we want them all together." 

Yvette look out over the group and said, "He won't. Emplate wants me and Rich alive. Davis would love to see Rich dead." They all noticed that Rich nodded. Rich hadn't made one sound since they she entered. 

Emma then said, "We'll get to speaking about Davis in a second. Right now, we have to speak about Darrett, and his ability." Daria watched as everyone looked at Darrett. 

Everett just said, "You mean we now know his ability. Every chance I've had, I've tried to synch with it, but couldn't." She was surprised by that. Everett could discover any mutant abilities, but not much more. 

She heard Jono say, _"Could be linked to the alternate time-line deal. So what is mystery boy's abilities?"_

Sean then said, "He summons beings to fight for him, but they are rather unique." Sean said it like it was an awkword term to say. 

Paige asked the $64,000 question. "Unique in what way? Are they monsters?" 

Daria looked at the boy and said, "Are they real?" She was curious about what his ability was now. 

Daria was started by who said the next words. "Why don't you show them, Darrett. Show them your friend." It was Rich. He seemed almost calm as he said those words. 

The boy just nodded and he seemed to be concentrating on something. Daria noticed as Emma stepped back as a figure started to form right in front of them. Soon the figure was that of a man. He looked about and said, "My Darrett, you never said that I would be called to meet everyone." She watched as the man spun and was now wearing a tuxedo and said, "Hello all, my name is..." 

Rich almost as if on cue said two more words. "Henry Stauf." Daria had heard that name before. She just had to place it. 

The figure just turned and said, "And if I'm not mistaken, Richard Cale. How are you lad? I have something for you." The man pulled out a toy, and Daria finally placed him. 

She stood up and said, "You're the villian from those two games, aren't you?" She faced Darrett and said, "You summon villians." At that, Henry disappeared, as if by magic. 

Darrett nodded and said, "That's the gift. I'm learning to control it." Daria looked in amazement at the boy. This ability could destroy them all, and he acted as if it didn't matter. 

Emma then said, "We already told him not to try and summon anything he hasn't summoned before. He's already done that once and it rebeled on him." Daria noticed the shocked look on everyone's face. Then Emma said, "The most we can do is try to find some way to get Darrett's abilities stronger so he can control the more dangerous ones." She noticed that Emma was about to say something, but then stopped. 

Daria noticed that Sean picked up on the cue and said, "Now, let's go over Davis, just in case he manages to get here." With that a 3-D image appeared, and Daria noticed as Rich moved back from the table. She also noticed that Yvette went to his side. Sean then said, "This is Davis. He has the mutant ability to manipulate things with music. He can't use noise of any kind." The man in the image appeared to be the same age as Rich, was slightly taller than Rich, and blonde. Not much else could be told from the image, due to the black and white image. She also noticed that Emma had left the room. 

She heard Monet say, "So does he know where Rich is right now?" That was still a major issue, since it was well know that Rich never let anyone know he was here, and now the reason was very obvious. 

Sean said, "No, the only way he'd find out is to get the information from the X-Mansion." There was a sigh of relief pass through the room. The X-Men were not going to be stopped by one man. 

Emma then walked back into the room. "Don't bet on that. They just found out that Soundwave was there. Wolverine encountered him." 

She saw a smug smile cross Jubilee's face as she said, "I bet somebody got injured good." Jubilee was inwardly snickering, and Daria realized what she meant. 

Emma looked at her and said, "I'll say. When they found Wolverine, he was busy doing the Macarena. He wasn't to thrilled to be discovered like that." There was a shocked look on everyone's face, especially Jubilee's. 

Everyone turned when they heard Rich mutter, "His twisted sense of humor. One robbery he had all the policemen dancing to YMCA." 

Sean faced them all and said, "Alright, I want ye all to check out the campus. We'll get the alarms and join you in a second. Skitz and Penance, stay in here. Darrett, I want ye to guard the door to the war room." He used codenames, and that meant that this was a serious problem. 


	38. Rhapsody's Finale

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Catch A Sound Wave 

Rhapsody's Finale 

Jubilee walked though the girls dorm. She didn't understand why everyone split up. Each of them had taken a part of each of the buildings. As she walked through the dorm, she had her fingers in a gun formation. She wanted to be ready to paf this Soundwave character before he tried anything. She listened intently. She heard music, the worse music of all, NKOTB. She shuddered as she moved quietly through the dorm. Eventually, she heard movement. She moved slowly in the direction of the movement. She saw that Penny's door was open. She slowly moved along the wall. When she near the door, she took a deep breath. She quickly spun and started firing sparks into the room. "Gotcha. You ain't getting your target today." She didn't see who was in the room, but she was sure of who it was. As the sparks cleared, her eyes went wide as the figure looked at her and smiled. "OH...." 

The figure slammed her into the wall. She was scared. It wasn't Soundwave. It was Sabertooth. She was shaking in fear. The figure just said, "Surprised. Prepare for a better surprise." She hadn't notice but the music had still been going all through the attack. 

She watched as the face of her attacker shift. Soon she realized what had happened. She gasped as the figure was that of Soundwave. He just said, "Obviously, you're not Yvette, so I shall ask this once, where is Rich and Yvette? I was hoping to use her to get him." 

Jubilee worked all her bravido together and spit in his face. "I ain't telling you. You try and hurt him, you have to go up against Generation X." She went to kick him so he drop her. 

As she went to kick him, she felt one hand grip her throat, as the other slapped her. He just said, "Ever have a nightmare come true, bitch." He threw her to the floor. She slid along the hall. "Because you are about to." 

She noticed that he turned around. She saw the device on his back. It had to be the source of the music. "Sounds off, creep." She went to fire her fireworks, but they wouldn't fire. She tried again, and again. She heard him laugh. She stood up to tackle him and then saw it. All the foes she had faced in her life, and they were headed after her. She turned and saw that she was in a dead end. The laughter got louder. This was Soundwave's work. It had to be an illusion. Then she felt one of them punch her. Was it an illusion? She screemed in agony as the others started to punch her.

* * *

Everett had saw the figure leave the girls dorm. It had to be Soundwave. He had left the door open. Everett went to confront the menace when he heard the screems. It sounded like Jubilee and she was getting hurt bad. Did he see Soundwave leave? If not, he had to get in there and save Jubilee, and if he did, was it a trick. He couldn't take the risk of not checking. He loved Jubilee too much. He ran into the dorm and headed for the screaming. When he rounded the corner, he saw Jubilee all alone. She was against a wall, but she acted like she was being punched in the gut, and all over. Everett didn't understand what was happening. He also noticed that she was acting like she couldn't move. He saw no attackers. He wondered if Davis was in here waiting. He moved forward and said, "Jubilee, what's wrong?" 

He noticed that she kept facing forward, "Synch, run. There's too many. Ahhhh." He noticed she flinched. She must have gotten hit by something. He moved in front of her. Everett couldn't figure out what was happening to her. She then said, "Not again. Stay away Sabertooth. NOOOOOOOOO." 

He looked around puzzled, and then wondered. He went up to Jubilee and said, "Where is Soundwave, did you see him?" He had a feeling what was happening. 

There was a look of fear across her face. "Yes, but run. No. Anything but that." What ever Soundwave did to her, she was experencing every fear she had, but worse. She was going to have physical repercussions. He noticed that she managed to turn her head a little, as if she was trying not to see what was happening. He then noticed what looked like a hearing aid in her ear. He synched with Jubes ability and pulled it out, destroying it with a little firework. He noticed that Jubilee started to collapse. He quickly grabbed her as she let out a moan of pain. 

He was worried. He got her in a carry and said, "Hold on, I'll get you to the med center." He made a quick run for the door. There was no telling what horrors had happen to her, but it was obvious that Soundwave induced them. As he ran out of the girls dorm, he ran into Sean and Emma.

* * *

Emma Frost was startled by the sight she saw, as was Sean. She ran up to Everett and said, "Synch, what happen?" She could see the worry in his eyes. Ever since Rich had arrived, Everett and Jubilee had become abit closer. 

He looked at them and said, "Soundwave did something to Jubilee. Hypnotized her in someway. She was in pain, and something about Sabertooth. I don't know what he forced her to experience." 

Emma decided to do a quick mind probe of Jubilee. She saw the images of the scenes Jubilee saw. Scores of the X-men's enemies attacking her. FOH members literally beating her up. And Sabertooth, the one mutant Jubilee feared most. She noticed how Sabertooth had held back in the scenes. Then she saw the scene that was starting before the whole image ended. She stopped the probe there. She just said, "Synch, you stopped it just in time. She was about to have her worse fear come true. How did he keep the hypnosis up without being present." 

Everett looked at her with deep concern. She knew what he wanted to ask, but kept him from asking it. He then said, "He put like a hearing aid in her ear. It was playing music." 

She head Sean go, "Sounds like his style." She gave him a stern glare. Sean looked at her and said, "What did I say?" 

Everett looked at him and said, "That's very bad, sir." 

Emma just said, "Banshee, if you meant that as a joke, don't say it again." She noticed that he rolled his eyes. He realized what he said. She then said "We have to check with the others. Soundwave might be trying to stop us before we stop him." 

Sean reached for his communicator and said, "Everyone, call in, and tell me the situation." She noticed that he set it so all could respond. 

The first voice to answer was Mondo's. "Banshee. I think we have a big problem. I'm stuck." 

Emma worried as she said, "Explain that one Mondo. How are you stuck?" 

The boy answered with a heavy sigh. "I saw Soundwave attacking Daria. I tried to sneak up on him, via the walls, but as I came out to attack him, he slapped my head and ran." 

Sean said, "Can you reach your ear? He put a sound device in there." 

She head Mondo go "No. I'd ask Daria to help, but she can't move." 

There was another voice that said, "I'm stuck to the ceiling, with this music playing in my ear. The creep said he had a magnet in the ceiling." It was Daria. Emma could guess what was happening. 

Emma then said, "Anyone else that can take care of that? Skin? Husk? M? Chamber?" 

The voice of Angelo came on the line. "He caught me to, senorita. Right now, I'm waiting for a fly, and my fingers are faraway from my ear." 

Sean said, "Where are you, Skin?" She was wondering that too. 

"All tied up all over the entry hall, and it's not to pleasent just hanging here." 

Emma just said, "We'll be there." She faced Sean and said, "We are going to have to help them. Soundwave is mad, but there is a definate method to it." 

Just then, a voice spoke on the comm unit. _"Banshee, White Queen, it's Chamber. I just got to Husk. How do I stop this?"_

Emma turned and said, "What's wrong?" 

_"Heard Husk screem in shock. She went to husk into something, but he made her husk to look like Barbie, or one of those dolls. She can't move, or talk. He heard me coming and tried to stop me, but ran then."_ Sean looked at her, and she shrugged. She didn't know why Soundwave would run. _"Had my walkman on, playing one of those Heavy Metal bands."_

Emma smiled and said, "Very clever Jono. Now reach into Paige's ear and get the hearing aid like thing. Destroy it and she'll be fine." 

She heard a small blast and soon Paige said, "What happened? Now I remember, that..." 

Emma heard Sean go, "Easy Husk, right now, you and Chamber go find Mondo and Daria and help them out. I'll get Skin." 

Emma was about to say what she and Everett would do when it hit her. "We haven't heard from M." She saw an upset look cross both Everett and Sean's faces.

* * *

Soundwave had ran from the mutant with only half a face. Damn freak had Heavy Metal on. Since running into the the girl at the one building, he managed to incapasitate all the others. All except the two he wanted. Then he ran into this girl. He had grabbed her from behind and held her firm in his grip. The music increased his strength, but the girl was strong cause she still struggled. He just said, "Ok, babe. It's simple. Tell me where Richard and his girl are, and I let you go. Don't tell me, you pay." 

The girl had a french accent, which he liked, along with her figure. "No way. I won't betray my friends." 

He allowed her to see his face as he said the next words. "I was hoping to hear that." He let a smile cross his lips. He watched as the fear crossed her face. He then noticed that her eyes quickly glazed over. 

He noticed when her eyes returned to normal, she yelled, "No. I'll tell you where they are. They're in the war room, but my brother has claim on them." He thought back to the files and the name he saw. 

"So you are Emplate's sister." He smiled. Maybe he should team up with him to kill the two. 

"Sisters, you idiot. My sister hates him. I'd rather see him get those two than you. He wants them alive." Now he was confused, but that didn't matter. He knew where his prey was. 

He smiled at the girl, or girls, or whatever he should call them and said, "Thank you. Your brother can have two corpses when I have done Big Blue's work. I'll just leave you with this, have fun." He put the sound device in her ear. He watched as she started struggling, and soon she stayed still. 

As he walked away, he heard her say to herself. "Look what you have done to us now, Claudette." Maybe he could blackmail the girl later, but that would have to wait. He had to make his way to the war room. He ran out the door.

* * *

Darrett watched intensely. He then saw the unmistakeable figure of Soundwave. He summoned Henry up to help him with Soundwave. He watched the figure approach. He motioned Henry out of the shadows, and Soundwave said, "A student and a teacher. Does this mean a few added seconds until humiliation." 

Darrett just said, "No Soundwave. I'm taking you down. I know your tricks." He put on a pair of sunglasses." He smiled in pride as a frown crossed the face of Soundwave. Darrett knew that the sonic hypnotism needed eye contact to be activated, and as long as he was aware of his actions, he control who he summoned. 

He watched as Soundwave just stopped and said, "Smart, but stupid. I have other methods, you know." Darrett felt the ground under him shake. He remembered that Soundwave didn't need to hypnotize a victim. He lost his train of thought and Henry disappeared. As he recovered from the shaking, he noticed that Soundwave was on him. It was too late to take any type of fighting stance, and Soundwave knocked him off his feet. 

He slowly got up. "There is no way I'm going to let you kill those two." That was true. While he had mixed feelings about everything in this world, this was one thing that wasn't going to confuse him. Soundwave and him were on opposite sides of the line. 

Soundwave looked at him and said, "You ain't going to have much choice in the matter." Darrett braced as Soundwave back handed him. He went flying into the wall. He staggered up and punched Soundwave in the jaw. He staggered back in pain. Soundwave was on him and he was picked up and thrown into a tree. Ever so slowly, things started to black out.

* * *

Rich listened to the door as the comotion on the other side ended. He didn't like the sound of it. He was terrified. He had turned on the camera's all over the campus, and saw what Davis did to the others. It sent chills through his spine. He heard Yvette come up behind him and say, {Do you think he got past Darrett?} 

He heard the door start to open and he pulled her to the locker room where all their uniforms were. {Yes. He's in.} He couldn't put it any other way. He could see the fear in her eyes. She had less to fear than he did. He was the one that sent Davis to jail. He was the one who help apprehend Davis. 

In the previous room, Rich heard Davis yell, "Come out, Rich, I want to talk to you." Rich knew better than that. Davis wanted to kill him, and God knows what to Yvette. He took Yvette's hand and pulled her throught the locker room. He was looking for a good spot to hide. The room had been divided into seperate sections, so both the gents and the ladies could prep, and there was a shower room for them to clean up. However, it was set up so each got privacy. Each stall had curtains around it. 

As they ran through to the opposite door, the door that led to the pool, Rich heard one of the curtains rip. He didn't know which one, but he said to his love, {Look out.} She looked and it happened at once. All the curtains came down. The first one tripped them up, and they fell onto a waiting curtain. 

Yvette was almost frantic, and he could tell. She started to get up, but the curtains were mummifing them. {Oh no, not the restraints again.} He could see that she started to tense up and that she was trying to cut her way through, but it was no use. It was happening to him too, but he tried to wiggle out of them. 

At one point he couldn't move and he said, {Hon, we are in deep trouble.} He noticed that she had stopped moving too, but during their struggles, they ended up facing each other. More of Davis' sick humor. He want them facing each other when they died. 

He then heard that voice he didn't want to hear. "Well, well, I see you got nice and cozy for me." Rich looked at Davis. The maniac smiled at him. 

Rich just said, "You are sick. I saw what you did to my friends. They won't let you do this. They'll get here and stop you." At least that was what he hoped. He looked over at Yvette and she was terrified. 

Davis leaned over the two and said, "I bet this is Miss Cassidy. I don't know what you did, but I'm surprised you found such a lovely lady." Rich's blood boiled as Davis put a hand on her. 

Rich heard Yvette's reaction to the touch, as she said in fear, {He's touching me. Don't let him...you know} He knew what she meant. He was afraid Davis would try that. 

Davis then put something in their ears as he said, "Now I bring you the music. I thought you two could do with a special song of passing, since that little cocoon you two are in will be crushing you to death by the time the song is over." 

Rich head the music start. It was "Candle In The Wind". As the song was playing, he felt the prison he was in getting smaller. Eventually, both he and Yvette were touching, but it would have been different if they weren't getting crushed to death. He heard Yvette say, {I never thought it would end like this. I mean, I thought we'd be married before we died.} 

The bonds had gotten tighter as he said, {I would have thought that we would have children before we died.} He gasped, struggling for his breath. He heard Davis laughing in delight. He looked Yvette in the eyes and said, {One last kiss.} 

{One last kiss.} She gasped for breath and then they started to kiss. He waited to hear a cracking noise. It would have been their bones. He heard a click and saw a light. It was Davis with a camera. 

He heard Davis go, "Now this is priceless, two lovers getting squashed to death." Rich noticed that Davis was holding the photo, and it happen. A blast incinerated the photo. He saw Davis spin around only to go flying over them and through the door with a firey blast. He felt someone reach at his ear, and he could move and breathe again. 

He stopped kissing Yvette and looked up. It was Sean. "Well Skitz, that was close for ye and Penance, wasn't it?" 

"Thought we wouldn't live through it, Banshee. Now let's take out the trash." He tensed up for battle. They ran into the pool room and saw that Chamber and Soundwave were basically fighting it out. Rich knew that Chamber needed help. 

He turned to Yvette and said, {Penance, love, go wide right. I'll go wide left. We follow the shadows and strike from behind.} 

He watched as she held up a claw and said, {Gladly. I didn't like the constriction trick he did.} With that the two headed out. He just hoped Banshee would do his thing at the right time.

* * *

Jonothan Starsmore was angry. He didn't like what Soundwave did to Paige, and he didn't want to know what the blighter was going to do to her. He took another blast and Soundwave and said, _"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Husk."_

Soundwave just smiled and said, "You liked her better that way. I thought you would." He went to blast the blighter again and Soundwave punched him down. As he started to stand, he noticed two shadows moving behind Soundwave. That distaction allowed for Soundwave to kick him again, knock the walkman off of him, and the headset off his head. Davis looked at him and said, "Now, to incapacitate you, and your teacher." 

Jono looked back and yelled _"BANSHEE, NOW!"_. He wasn't going to be manipulated by this prat. 

Soundwave looked up in shock and said, "No. It can't be. Banshee's are female." Sean started yelling at that point. The sonic scream was not pleasent, but to Soundwave it was devistating. Jono watched as the boy screamed in agony. "Stop it, stop the noise." Jono watched as the two shadow's lunged at the device on Soundwave's back. "No, my sound machine." 

Jono just yelled, _"Good work, Skitz and Penance."_ The two circled around and started to slowly advance. Jono faced the fugitive and said, _"It ends here."_

Jono was shocked when Soundwave did a foot sweep. The boy knocked him over in a way that sent the walkman over to his feet. "Not by a long shot." The boy tossed the ruined machine at Rich. Jono turned to see Rich fly into the pool. Sean stopped his scream and ran to dive in. It was all Soundwave needed and Jono realized it. Yvette had run to the pool to, but the boy said, "I'll be back. I always Hang Tough." The boy had a tape on him, and put it in the walkman. In an instant, the boy disappeared. 

Jono turned to face Sean and Yvette as they pulled Rich out of the pool. _"Sorry, he got away."_

Rich was gasping as he said, "It's ok. He has to rethink everything. He's determined, but right now, he need to rebuild. That unit was one of a kind." Jono helped get Rich out of the building. 

Sean then said, "Right now, we have a couple of students that need to recover from this ordeal. If Soundwave makes another appearance here, we need to be ready. Jono, get Darrett and get him to the infirmery. 

_"Agreed. I hope Daria and Mondo mangage to get Monet free."_

He noticed the look of worry on Yvette's eyes as she said, "What happened?" 

_"Soundwave had her thinking she was restrained like you, except non mobile."_ He saw Yvette chuckle. He wondered if she found it funny that that happened to Monet. He didn't dwell on it. They had survived, and there was fear from everyone that they wouldn't. 

* * *

He watched the scene from his lair. Davis had failed him again, but the boy would keep trying. When he had first learned of Richard Cale Jr., he wanted the boy dead then. The boy was too dangerous to him. The time was nearing. He knew a confrontation would lead to the boy taking the charge of the family title, and then he thought about it. He smiled wickedly at the thought. "Ozymantius, come here." 

He watched as the stone covered man entered the room. "You summoned me, sire." 

He looked down at his first minion. "Contact the Orphan Maker, I want him to make an orphan out of Richard Cale Jr." 

The minion looked at him puzzled, "Don't you want him dead, sire." 

"With his family's title and the time approaching, he is dead, and I'm sure his love will be put to a good home with Emplate." He watched as the man left the room. He turned back to the screen and said, "Enjoy what's left of your life, young one, for En Sabah Nur will end it for you soon." 

The End...For Now. 


	39. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

If I Had a...Delirium 

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? 

Richard Cale was nervous. This was the first time he had ever had the chance at doing this, but then again, he dreamed about it in his youth. Before he had been ushered to his spot, Sean, Yvette, Monet, and Everett had wished him the best of luck. He also knew that they were in the stands watching. This was a special show, and he knew that of all the money he might win, only a quarter of it he would keep. Now the cameras were rolling, and his eyes were on the two people in the center of the stage. The man was on his 10th question, but it was the first question of the day. Richard listened intently as the man choose his answer. He noticed the upset look on the other man's face as he said, "I'm sorry, but the correct answer was D. However you do leave with $1,000." They stood and shook hands. It was upon him, the moment of truth. 

He watched as they prepped the stage and the man went to the main entrance onto the stage and said, "Well, now we have ten new faces ready to see if they can reach that hot seat and they are..." Richard listen as the names were listed off, one by one, each making a motion to the camera. He was last on the list, as the list approached completion, he noticed the lady next to him smiled at the camera as the man said, "Clare Mulroy, Riverview, New Brunswick, and Richard Cale, Easton, Pa." Rich smiled and nodded at the camera. The man then said, "Now let me tell you all how this works. In front of you is a computer with four buttons. In a minute, a question and four answers will appear on the screen. The one who puts them in the correct order in the fastest time get to go to Hot Seat today on this hour long show. Now here's our first Fastest Finger Question." 

Rich focused his eyes on the screen as the question appeared in front of him, and the host read it aloud. "Put the following Presidents in order of length of term, from shortest to longest. A: FDR, B: Harrison, C: Truman, D: Bush." Rich knew enough about presidents to know the answer to that question. His fingers were a blur as he hit the buttons, B, D, C, and A. He saw the time clock stop on his podium. It read 3 seconds. In what had to be a minute the host was saying "Ok, now let's see who had the correct answer in the fastest time." The screen changed and names lit up, one was flashing. "And with a time of 3 seconds, Richard Cale is our next contestant." He stood up and went over to the host. As he shook hands, the host said, "Congratulations. When we come back, Richard Cale will be going for $1,000,000.00. Don't go away." He heard as the show went into a break, and they set the stage. During that time, the host said, "Fast answers there. Hope you do well in the Hot Seat." 

Richard Cale turned and faced the man and said, "Thank you, Mr. Philbin. I hope so too. Most of the winnings will go to charities." 

The man just said, "Call me Regis. You mean to say you're giving it to charity?" 

"I don't need the money. I did this on a dare, but I always swore, if I won anything, I'd give most of it away. 75% of the cash is already promised to charity." 

Regis smiled and said, "That's one of the nobelist things we had someone do on this show. Well, good luck." Regis then led him over to the Hot Seat. Rich sat in his chair as Regis got into his chair. The show started up again and Regis began, "Welcome back to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? I'm here with Richard Cale, who got here today because of a dare. Now who dared you to do this?" 

Rich laughed and said, "A few friends of mine where I'm going to school. They said I should try, and here I am." 

"Any of your school friends in the audience?" 

"Yep, 3 of them and one of the teachers." 

"Well, I wish you the best of luck. Now I'll go over the rules for you. I'm going to ask you fifteen questions. There are two guarenteed money levels at 5 and 10. If you get stuck on any question, there are three lifelines available to you. There's 50:50 where the computer removes 2 answers leaving one right one and one wrong one. There's Ask the Audience where they vote on the answer. Finally, there is Phone A Friend, where AT&T will phone anyone in the country for you for 30 seconds. You got that?" Rich nodded. It wasn't hard to understand. "Ok, let's play Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Rich, here's your first question for $100. What animal did Hannibal use to cross the Alps? A: Rhinoceri, B: Elephants, C: Llamas, D: Chihuahuas." 

Rich smiled. He knew the answer, but he'd be a bit jovial about it. "Well, I don't remember history saying Hannibal arrived in Rome saying 'Yo quero Taco Bell.'" Everyone in the audience chucked, and Rich said, "And it wasn't La Llama, so I'd say my final answer is B: Elephants." 

Regis smiled and said, "You're right, you have $100. Now, for $200, On what show would you find Fox Mulder? A: ER, B: Law & Order, C: X-Files, D: Unsolved Mysteries." 

It was another easy one. "Well, I know the top two are wrong, and unless I'm mistaken, Duchovny doesn't look like he's eighty so I'll say C is my final answer." 

Regis chuckled a bit and finally said, "You're right for $200. Hope you're ready, now for $300, which of these states was last inducted into the United States? A: Utah, B: Alaska, C: Hawaii, D: Delaware." 

Rich felt the look of shock cross his face. He couldn't think of the answer. He knew it was B or C, but he didn't want to waste a lifeline. He looked a Regis and said, "Do you have a coin I can flip?" 

Laughter echoed through the room, and Regis said, "No, but you do have all your life lines." 

Rich shook his head and said, "No, I'd like to save those for the harder questions. I'll take a guess and say its C." 

Regis looked at him. "Final Answer?" 

Rich nodded and said, "Yep, I just pray it's right." Rich crossed his fingers as his choice lit up. 

Regis just sat back and said, "Well, Rich, your guess is right." Rich let out a sigh of relief. Now Regis said, "Now, for $500, Which of these hands in poker, cannot beat a Full House? A: Four of a Kind, B: Striaght Flush, C: Three of a Kind, D: Royal Flush." 

Rich knew poker, from playing it on computer games. He looked at Regis and said jokingly, "I thought a Royal Flush was found in Buchinham Palace." Another set of giggles went through the rooms, and then he said, "Seriously, my final answer is C: Three of a Kind." 

Regis had a calm look as he said, "Well, you now have $500 for your next poker game." Cheers went through the audience. Then Regis said, "Now for a guarenteed $1,000, Which movie series debut in May 1979, and celebrated it's 20th year? A: Star Wars, B: Star Trek, C: Alien, D: Predator" 

Rich chuckled. "Oh, that's the one with the cute critter in it. My final answer is C: Alien." 

The pressure would have gotten to him, but he knew he was right, and Regis finally said, "Congratulations, you've reached the $1,000 level." Regis then said, "We'll be right back as Richard Cale tries to get the $1,000,000." When the camera stopped, Regis looked at him and said, "Need a drink, or something, you look like you could use it." 

Rich had felt a bit fatiqued, but he brushed it off to nerves. "Just water. This is enough to make one pass out from worry." Regis handed him the glass that was brought over and he drank it down. Something was bothering him in his gut, but he couldn't place it. 

He saw Regis sit up again, and he knew the camera were back on. "Welcome back, we're here with Richard Cale who has reached the $1,000 level. You ready to continue on, Richard." 

Rich swallowed and said, "As ready as ever." He noticed his throat felt a bit raw. He started to worry more. 

Regis then said, "Then let's play Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Rich noticed that the lights focused on the floor. It was the next level of suspence. Regis then asked him, "Now if you get this wrong, you don't lose anything. For $2,000, The movie Ravenous was based in part, off what monster legend? Is it A: Bigfoot, B: Wendigo, C: The Jersey Devil, D: El Chupacabra." 

Rich looked over his choices, as he said, "Well, if I remember right from the commercials, it was out west and in a forest, so C and D are out. So its a toss up between A and B, and last time Bigfoot was on film it was a walk by, so I'll go with B as my final answer." 

Regis looked at his screen and said, "You don't wait for me to ask final answer, you just say it. Well, you're right again." There was cheering all around. Rich glanced up to the section he saw Sean, Yvette and the rest were sitting. He smiled. The light returned to the floor and Regis said, "Ok, now Rich, here's the $4,000 question. Which of these British Shows doesn't star Rowan Atkinson? A: Thin Blue Line, B: Mr. Bean, C: Black Adder, D: Absolutely Fabulous." 

Rich smiled and said, "I think this final answer will be Absolutely Fabulous." There was a chuckle through out the audience as he finished the line. It was good timing, cause he felt a quiet cough coming. 

He watched as Regis said, "Well, I don't how to say this, but that pun is worth $4,000." Cheers were going aroung the room. Soon the lighting returned and Regis said, "For $8,000, who was know as the Sleeping Prophet? Was it, A: Nostradamus, B: Edgar Casey, C: Joan Of Arc, D: Mother Teresa." 

Rich looked a him and said, "I thought they were suppose to get harder. It's Edgar Casey, and that's my final answer." 

Regis sat back at that, and said, "Rich, let me say Final Answer once in a while, I'm getting paid to. But, you are right." Rich sighed and felt another cough stiring. Regis then said, "Well, you've reached $8,000, you can leave with that, or for $16,000 you can answer this question. Who attempted to kill President Reagan? A: Haley, B: Haney, C: Hinkly, D: Hillary." 

Rich put his hand to his mouth and let out a little cough. He then said, "That's a tuffy. Although I think it was the same as the main character of a show until it happened. So I'll say C, cause I think the guy on the show was Hinkly." 

Regis looked at him and said, "Final Answer?" 

Rich just looked at him and said, "Final answer." 

A hush fell over the room. Rich heard a cough and realized it was him. Regis looked at him and said, "Well Rich, that answer just got you $16,000." Rich took a deep breath and Regis said, "Now, for $32,000, the next guarenteed level, here's your question. Which of these Henson movie didn't have a single human actor? A: Muppet Treasure Island, B: Muppets Take Manhatten, C: Labyrinth, D: The Dark Crystal." 

Rich smiled and said, "That's one of my favorite movies. My final answer is the Dark Crystal." Rich coughed again. This time he couldn't cover it. 

Regis looked at him, and Rich could see the worry in his eyes. Regis then said the words, "Congratulations, Richard, you now have $32,000." There was a fanfare, as Rich let out a sigh of relief. Regis then faced the camera and said, "We'll be right back as Richard Cale goes for $1,000,000 with 3 lifelines still intact." Rich noticed as things went into a relaxed state for the commercial break. Regis looked at him and said, "Are you ok? If you want, we can do the rest at a later date." 

Rich looked at him and said, "No. If this is what I think it is, I might not get better until after your run time is done. If we keep this moving, I'll make it through, just inform my friends over there to be ready." 

He watched as Regis called a person over and told them to inform his friends. He could see even before he said anything to Regis that Yvette knew something was wrong. He could see it in her eyes. Soon, the lighting was back. He heard Regis say, "Welcome back, we're here with Richard Cale, and Richard, here's a check for $32,000, yours no matter what. Now, no risk, but for $64,000." Rich noticed that the lights were now focused on them. Regis then gave him the question. "What did Samuel Clemen's Pen name mean? A: 2 Weeks, B: 2 Miles, C: 2 Years, D: 2 Fathoms." 

Rich looked at the question as he coughed again. "Pardon. I saw a film on him a couple of years ago. It meant D: 2 Fathoms, and that's my final Answer." 

There was a hush as every watched the two of them. It ended when Regis said, "Let me present you with check for $64,000." The fanfare played again. Regis then said, "4 to go and still three lifelines." The light were dead center as Regis said, now, if you want to go for $125,000. The question is, What celebrity made the 100,000,000,000 Crayola crayon? A: Big Bird, B: Fred Rogers, C: Levar Burton, D: Macuallay Culkin." 

Rich smiled, it was a home town question. He smiled and said, "I know this one. It's B: Fred Rogers, and that's my Final answer." He coughed again. This had to go faster. 

Regis looked at him and said, "You did it again, You now have a check for $125,000." Everyone was cheering. He would have cheered to, but it might knock him out. It felt like what he thought it was. The only way to confirm it was to contact home. If he was the only one, it would be mild. Regis then said, "Now you have 3 lifelines still at your disposal, so lets see if they help you. For $250,000," Rich noticed the lights were on them again. "How many labors was Hercules originally sentenced to preform? A: 8, B: 10, C: 12, D: 14." 

Rich looked at the question and saw the key word. He looked at Regis and said, "I see, trying to trick me." He looked over the answers. He knew the valid one, and he thought he'd have a little fun. "I'd like to ask for the audience's opinion on this one, Regis." 

The light flashed up and Regis said, "Ok, audience, you've heard the man. He would like your help on this question so use your key pad to pick the answer." In no, time all the votes were in and Rich saw what he expected, as Regis stated, "Well, 90% of them say C, 8% say B, and the other 2% said D. You know the audience has a good track record." 

Rich nodded and said, "True, but the audience didn't listen to the question, but I'll agree with 8% of them and say B for my final answer." 

Regis leaned back, with a grim look on his face, and said, "You know, you could be losing $93,000." Rich nodded, but he smiled. Regis looked at him and said, "But you know that you got the $250,000." Rich heard the cheers, loudest from his friends. Regis showed the check to him. "Here's the check, you can take it, or try and answer this question for $500,000." The question appeared on the screen as the lights were focused on them again. "Which of these movie's was a ficticious movie? A: The Exorcist, B: The Amityville Horror, C: Poltergeist, D: The Entity." 

Rich swallowed, and coughed. He wasn't too sure. He knew B and D were real, but he couldn't pick the third film. He looked at Regis and said, "I'd like to phone my cousin, Godiva Cale." 

Regis said, "Ok, our friends at AT&T will get her on the line for you." Rich waited. He also needed to find out how much time he had until he'd be out of it. 

The line picked up. There was a cough, followed by a raspy "Hello." He might not make it. 

Regis said, "Hello, is this Godiva?" 

"Yes." 

"This is Regis Philbin, from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? I'm here with your cousin, Richard, and he needs you help on a question." There was a cough again on the line. 

"If I'm right, he'll need more than help on a question." He knew what she meant. 

"Ok, the next voice you hear will be that of your cousin." Regis nodded to him, he was on the 30 second count down. 

Rich swallowed and said, "Godiva, Which of these movie's was a ficticious movie? A: The Exorsist, or C: Poltergeist? I ruled out two of them." 

There was a slight pause followed by two simultanious coughs. "It's C, Rich. Now hurry." The phone hung up quick. He didn't have long. 

He looked at Regis with urgency in his eyes. "C's the final answer." 

He noticed Regis understood, and said, "Well, that help gave you $500,000." Cheers came from all around the room. Rich started to feel faint, but he held on. He had to hold on. Regis then said, "Richard, here you are at the last question. 1 lifeline. For $1,000,000, How many different presidents have been elected into office? A:42, B:41, C: 39, D:40." 

Rich looked them over. He couldn't focus on the numbers. He just said, "50:50 please" He knew one wasn't elected, and another served two non consecutive terms. He just couldn't focus on the right number, was it 40 or 41. 

He heard Regis say, "Computer, remove two of the wrong answers, leave the right answer and one wrong one." Rich could tell by position that B and C disappeared. It helped him. 

The room was filled with a hush, but he couldn't tell if there was a sound. He bearly heard his own voice as he said, "D's the final answer." He couldn't feel the chair, he was losing consiousness.

* * *

Regis looked quickly at the screen, amazed. The screen told him the one thing he had been hoping to see. Then he looked at Richard Cale. This amazing boy managed to do this, and at the key moment, he was on the floor, ill. Regis jumped out of his chair and yelled, "We need help here. Cut the cameras." He turned to see Richard Cale's friends running out to the center. 

The one man said in an Irish accent. "He fell ill, but with what?" 

Regis was dumbfounded but said, "I don't know, but he said he knew it was coming. He said he was giving the money to charity." Regis noticed that the one girl went over to Rich's side. She was holding him, like she was his girlfriend. 

"I know. His family's very wealthy, but he didn't want any of it. Only uses it to fund for the betterment of people. He told me he was donating 1/4 of his winnings to the National Epilepsy Foundation." Regis was impressed. Most of his contestants spent the money on themselves, but not this boy. 

He then noticed the girl was excited as she said, "He's talking." They all gathered around as Regis looked at the boy. The boy wasn't with it, but he was talking. 

He listened as Richard Cale just muttered, but a few words were understandable. "Black... Tom.. Killed..." 

Regis looked at the man and said, "What did he mean by that?" 

The man sighed and said, "A terrorist, Black Tom Cassidy attacked our school. Rich stopped him, using lethal force. It shook the lad up, but if he didn't, God only knows what that maniac would have done." 

Regis didn't know what to say. He looked at the man and said, "I take it he didn't want to use that kind of force." The man nodded and Regis said, "I won't tell a soul." Regis turned to see a man run off. "Damn. The news people are here every day, waiting for something like this. I'm sorry." 

The man had a worried look on his face, until it turned to a calm look. "Don't worry. Hopefully, no one will try anything. We'll take care of Rich, I'll give a call to his home and find out what happened." Regis watched as the man turned to the others in his group and said, "Monet, Everett, Yvette, get Rich out of here. We need to get him back to the school, pronto." 

Regis stopped the man just as the kids left. "Listen...." 

"Sean." 

"Thank you. Before Rich fainted, he gave the right answer. I want to give you the check, in his name." The man nodded, and Regis directed him to the stop where he had to be for the next fast finger round. "When the camera's go on, I'll tell them what happened and give you the check." 

Sean looked at him and said, "Thanks, again." 

Regis stopped him from saying anything else as the camera's came to life. Regis looked at the camera and said, "Welcome back, sorry for the abrupt break, but Richard fell ill just as he answered the last question. Ironically enough, he answered it correctly and is our first $1,000,000 winner. Now since Richard is ill, his friend, Sean, will be accepting the check. Sean, here is Richard's check for $1,000,000. I hope he uses it wisely." 

Sean shook his hand and said, "Thank you. I know he will." 

Regis then said, "If he gets better before the end of our run, I do hope he will stop by and thank us in person." 

Sean smiled and said, "I hope he can do that." 

Regis watched as the man walked off stage and said, "Well, that got us off on the right step, accept at the end, now, let see who's next for a chance at $1,000,000" 


	40. Visions of the Past, Tales of the Future...

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

If I Had a...Delirium 

Visions of the Past, Tales of the Future...part I 

Yvette was overjoyed when her 'father' finally came out of the building. She had been huddled over her lover while they waited. Now she was worried sick. As he got in, she said, "What's wrong with Rich?" 

She knew he heard the worry in her voice as he said, "I don't know, but it's serious. Godiva had the same problem over the phone." She felt the vehicle lerch, and soon the vehicle was moving. She hoped they would get back to the school quick. 

As the vehicle moved, she heard her 'father's' carphone ring. She watched as Everett picked it up and said, "Hello?" She watched as he turned his head and said, "It's Emma. She said she just got a call from Rich's mother. She said that she was worried that Rich was ill, since his father and Godiva and her brother fell ill." 

She watched as her 'father' said, "Does she know what's wrong?" 

She watched as Everett spoke into the phone and then said, "Emma said it's something called the Cale Delerium. She wants us to get back to the school pronto. It's not lethal, but Rich is not in a state to fend for himself, which means he's an easy target for anyone to attack him." There was a brief pause as Everett then said, "By the way, she wants to know how he did on the show?" 

She reached for the phone and took it. "He toughed it out and won. He was falling ill sometime into the questions, and passed out before he found out he won. You'll see tonight." She noticed that her 'father' grabbed the phone from her. Something was bothering him severly. 

She listened as he said, "Emma, I think we lucked out partially. After Rich passed out, he started to talk. He mentioned, in vague terms, about when Black Tom was at the school. He didn't say what the school was, but someone from the news was there. Rich is the show's first million dollar winner." She could have sworn she heard the silence on the other end of the line. It was ended as she heard her 'father' say, "Alright. We'll high tail it back there." 

As her 'father' hung up the phone, she looked at him and said, "What's wrong?" 

He kept driving as he said the next few words, "Yvette, Emma's afraid that Rich's condition might cause a big problem. If the deal with Black Tom is aired on the news, which it will most likely be, it is going to cause alot of Black Tom's friends to come gunning for Rich. Most we can handle, however, one of Tom's best friends is Cain Marko." 

She didn't understand what it meant, but the looks in Everett's and Monet's eyes told her something was wrong. She just said, "Who is that?" not wanting to know the answer. 

Monet put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Yvette, Cain Marko is Professor Xavier's half-brother. He is also known as the Juggernaut, and I should add, unstoppable." Yvette felt her heart stop for a second. She understood what it all meant. It meant that Rich's life might end at the hands of a madman. 

* * *

Emma stood and watched as she saw Sean's jeep come in the gate. The rest of the kids were behind her. When she had gotten off the phone with Sean, she asked the kids to get the Med Lab ready. As Sean's started up the driveway, she heard Jubilee say "Emma, what is this that hit Rich?" 

Emma just held up her hand and said, "In a minute, Jubilee. I'd rather explain it once." When the jeep pulled to a stop, she watched as Sean and the others got out. Monet and Everett was carrying Rich. She watched as Darrett and Jono moved a stretcher over to Rich and placed him on it. As they started to move Rich into the school, she followed and said, "Well, this is something I wish we would have known about." 

Sean was keeping in step with her, asking the question she knew he was going to ask. "So, what is this Cale Delerium?" 

Emma watched as Yvette stayed right by Rich's side. Emma could see the concern in Yvette's eyes as Yvette asked a different question. "Will he be alright?" 

Emma knew she could relieve the child's fears. "Rich won't die. This Cale Delerium is something that effects all the Cale family. According to Rich's mother, it appears like a bad cold, but it's more complex. All the Cale family have some sort of psychic bond. Hense, if one falls ill from it, the defences on the others goes down, so if two of the Cale bloodline are near each other and one has this Delerium, they all fall into this state they are in now." 

Paige asked what would have been the most important question. "How long does this last? Ah mean, he can't be incapacitated too long, can he?" 

Emma just looked at Paige and said, "That's the thing, it all depends on the mental healing. The delerium causes each Cale to revisualize things in their past, however unlikely that they will remember them." 

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face Sean. He looked at her and said, "Yur not thinking of going into his mind and prancing around in there, are ye?" She could tell that in his tone, he didn't want her doing that. That was a little more complicated due to the call she had gotten. 

She just said, "The thought never crossed my mind, but it was asked by Rich's mother. She felt that I might be able to help, as well as Yvette." She noticed that Yvette had looked in her direction. 

Yvette just said, "How so?" Emma could tell that the idea of helping Rich had sounded good to her. 

Emma just took Yvette's hands and said, "Remember how Jean told me to teach you to go on the Astral plane." As the girl nodded, she said, "I think this is a good test for you. Besides, you might be more help this way, then out here." They had finally reached the med-lab. She saw Daria standing at one of the bed's and had it set up. Soon, everyone was helping to move Rich from the stretcher to the bed. The second they started it up. Emma could see everything happening. His brain wave patterns were starting up. She knew he was reliving a memory. She just said, "Yvette, get ready for the next one." She faced the others and said, "As for you, keep an eye on the show and the news afterwords. We need to know if they do tell about Black Tom's defeat." Everyone ran out of the room, and she entered a trance. She travel through the Astral Plane and into Rich's mind. 

As she stood, as an impartial viewer, she saw a young boy, which had to be Rich, standing with an elderly man, who was still fit. She watched in silence as he said, "That's an ugly rat, Granddad." Emma was amazed. This had to be Rich at about age 10. She also noticed that Rich was holding a cat in his hands. It was spotted and just meowed. 

She noticed that Rich's grandfather just said, "It's a very mean rat, too. You see Rich, my father caught that rat. It's a rather unique creature, called a Wi-Lu-Gho-Yuk." She heard Rich giggle at the name. She moved closer to the rat and looked at it. She noticed that it's teeth were rather large. She jumped back as she saw it go to bite. It was still alive. She then heard Rich's grandfather say, "That thing feeds off human organs." She noticed Rich's eyes go wide. "It's mean, and very fast, but your great-grandfather caught that. It's been a family hobby. We are like that cartoon you watch, 'The Real Ghostbusters'." 

She heard Rich giggle again as he said, "Granddad, that show ain't real." Rich then left the room. With that she blinked and she was back in the med center. She couldn't believe it. Rich had said that Godiva fuelled his intrest in the supernatural, but now she wondered if that was true. Maybe the boy didn't remember it. She got up and left the room, and went to where all the others were. They had the show on. 

When she looked at the T.V, she heard a strange sound. "What was that?" 

Angelo just said, "The end of the show. You were out for an hour." Emma was startled at how long she was in that small memory. Angelo then said, "Don't worry, we taped it. Some of those questions Rich had were tough." 

She heard Jono say, _"I know that one about the Sleeping Prophet would have tripped me up."_

Sean then said, "Quiet everyone, here's the moment of truth." 

Emma watched as the news preview started. As they mentioned a few story's, the last thing they said was, "But first, the first millionaire on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? stopped a terrorist. More about this on the 10 o'clock news." Emma's heart stopped for a second. They needed all the help they could get. 

* * *

Cain Marko sat in the bar, only listening to the show. He had heard the commotion and they said that someone had fallen ill. At first, he could care less, but then it caught his attention, when the man who accepted the check in the name of the winner spoke. He turned and saw the face. It was Sean Cassidy, Banshee from the X-Men. His step-brother had founded them, and he hated his step-brother. He watched, hoping to see if he could find out something. Maybe he could find where ever Sean was and cause him some problems. He then watched as the show ended and the news started. The news held information that he didn't want to here. "Tonight's top story. The first Millionaire on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? had stopped a terrorist. Excitement mounted on the show today, and all was stunned when Richard Cale, the show's first millionaire, fell ill at the key moment. At that time, a reporter overheard Sean, Richard Cale's teacher, state that Richard defeated Black Tom Cassidy. Apparently, the terrorist attacked a school in New England, where Richard Cale is going to school. From what we have gathered, Richard Cale stopped the terrorist using lethal force. That only cuts down the terrorists by one, but according to rumor, Black Tom was a mutant terrorist." 

Cain Marko slammed his fist on the bar when he heard the news. His friend was dead, and at the hand of that boy. He heard the bartender say, "Listen buddy, you break anything, I'll have to throw you out and call the cops." Cain would have liked to see the guy try it, but now was not the time. He just quietly got up and left the bar. He walked to an alley right near the bar. 

He had been in the army, and nothing phased him much. Especially with the discovery he had made. He handled the crystal he had found there and used it it like he always did. Soon, he was in the unbreakable armor that made him the ultimate weapon. He just smiled and said, "It's time for the Juggernaut to even that score up." He knew where to head. He had to go to were his half-brother had set a new school before the Onslaught deal. It would be a long trek, maybe a day or two, but the Juggernaut wouldn't need sleep. He was unstoppable. 

* * *

Yvette had done as Emma told her too. She knew she had to be ready for this, but she also wanted to do something to comfort Rich's physical form. She ran from her room in the girl's dorm, to Rich's room. She knew that during the day, he left it unlocked, especially with the security the school had. She looked over the room and found the item she was looking for. She quickly picked it up and carried it off to the Med center. She ran as quickly as she could, knowing that the next minute could mean another attack on Rich's mind by the delerium. When she ran in, she saw that the brainwave patterns had stablized from last time. As she placed the item she got from Rich's room over him, she heard Emma say behind her, "Think that might help him in some way." 

She spun around in surprise and nodded carefully. She then asked the question that was on her mind. "What did you find out in Rich's mind?" She was worried about what was going on in Rich's mind. 

She noticed as Emma looked at her and said, "Something odd. Remember how Rich said Godiva fueled his intrest in the paranormal and unusual." She nodded again, and Emma continued. "It appears Rich's family has a deep root in that stuff, since the memory I saw involved Rich and his grandfather, and something along those areas. I've asked Monet to look up the creature." 

This had Yvette worried. "Do you think it will come up again in his memories?" She almost got an answer as the monitoring devices started up again. It was a signal that Rich was reliving a memory again. 

Emma looked at her and said, "Are you ready for your first trip, Yvette? We will be impartial viewers." 

Yvette nodded and almost instantaniously, Emma drew her into the Astral Plane. She needed some help still, but she was slowly getting the hang of reaching this level of consciousness. She then travelled with Emma's mind into the memory that Rich was reliving. When she blinked her eyes, Yvette realized that she was in a room. It had all the tell-tale markings of a childs room. She turned and saw on the bed in the room her boyfriend, as a child. As she watched with Emma, she noticed Rich was petting a cat. He just said, "I don't understand it, Grimore. Mom, Dad and Granddad have company, and I can't go down to visit. It's like I'm being punished." 

She turned to Emma and said, "Do you have any idea what he means?" She watched as Emma shook her head. 

She looked in surprise as she heard the cat hiss. She heard Rich go, "Grimore, what's wrong? What's out there?" 

As they all watched, Yvette noticed that Emma heard a voice and said, "Yvette, do you hear that voice?" 

Yvette listened and in a moment she recognized it. "Isn't that Monet's father?" 

Emma watched as the cat still hissed and said, "Yes, it sound's like it. And if it is, judging from the age of Rich, Monet and her sister are either babies or not yet born, so the only child he's talking to is..." 

Yvette went to complete the sentence and noticed the cat had calmed down, and the memory ended. When Yvette blinked, she was back in the Med Center. She turned to Emma who had a worried look on her face. She then said, "Do you think Rich relizes that he knew ..." 

Emma stopped her and said, "I don't think he did, but I wonder how much he did know about the St. Croix family. When he saw Cartier back at the museum, he didn't recognize him at all." 

Yvette looked at Emma with a little bit of worry. "Do you think he knew about Emplate?" She was totally concerned now. She was scared that Rich and Emplate's paths had crossed before. 

Emma put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I have a feeling that Rich first found out about Emplate here, because he had never seen Emplate before. Now, if the Cale's and the St. Croix's knew each other, and knew about Emplate before hand, they probably managed to keep the two from meeting. But the key question is.." 

Yvette knew the answer before Emma could say it. "How did they know? I wonder if Rich's mother knows." 

Emma just shook her head and said, "Yvette, the two act as if they never met before. If Emplate knew who Rich was, there would be a much more visible bond of knowing there. I think we might have to see if Rich's mind shows more of that. I think for now, we should not mention this to anyone." Yvette understood what Emma was getting at. It was a little upsetting to her, but she felt that Rich never knew about Emplate until he came to the school.

* * *

Monet had been up in the library. She didn't understand Emma's strange request. Why would she want to know about a weird rat? Then when she found it, she was puzzled even more. It was such an odd reference, and also a very oblique legend. She ran quickly back to the Med Center, only to see Yvette and Emma talking. When Emma saw her, the two clammed up. It was like they were hiding something. Monet walked over to them and said, "What's the problem?" 

Emma just said, "I was wondering if you found anything out on that rat." Something told Monet that there was more to it, like they were hiding something. 

Monet just said, "Some unique things, there are two references in the books about that rat. One is a Inuit legend about a creature by the same name, but the other is very puzzling. I found out about a newspaper article from around the turn of the century." She pulled out a copy of the article and laid it on the table. "Here it is. Monster hunter captures killer rat." She pointed to a photo and read the article. "A monster hunter from the east coast proves to many that monsters exist. This apparently non-threatening rat is actually a visious creature, that feeds on living people. The hunter caught the creature alive, and took it with him, in a special case, back east for study by cryptozoologists." 

She noticed that Emma and Yvette were looking intently at the picture as Yvette said, "He looks like he's related to Rich." Monet nodded, because she noticed that as well. 

Emma then said, "It's his great-grandfather, and that rat is still alive." 

Monet looked at her puzzled and said, "It can't be. That rat, if it hasn't eaten, is most likely dead, and replaced by a less threatening one." 

Emma just looked at her and said, "Monet, we are finding out some very unusual facts about Richard, and his family. Some of which we believe have been kept from him by himself. I'm beginning to wonder more about Rich's family as well. He said they are very wealthy. He's giving $750,000 of his winnings to charity, $250,000 to the national epilepsy foundation, $250,000 to his home town, $250,000 to Moria's drive to find a cure for Legacy. Of what's left, $125,000 is going to the school. I don't know what he's doing with the rest, but if he would have named all his charities, he would have brought a plaque of problems on us. As of right now, we only have to worry about one, if that. Now why don't you get some rest. Yvette and I won't be getting much sleep." 

Monet nodded and left the room. Something must have bothered Emma, and Yvette. She noticed that Yvette seemed a little tense. She wondered about the problem as she walked to her dorm room and entered it, locking the door. She figured that she would freshen up. As she got ready to do so, she heard the mocking voice in her head. [You know, now would be a fun time for Marius to visit.] 

She stopped and said silently, "Claudette, don't you dare." 

The laughter of her sister bothered her. [I should call for him, but you know, I don't think it would be right. That Juggernaut character is probably plowing his way here to pummel Rich.] There was laughter again. 

"Claudette, you are sick." 

[Be quiet, sister, besides I'm trying to puzzle something out. Like why the White Bimbo clammed up with Rich's lover.] Although Monet didn't like her sister's words, she was wondering the same thing. [I wonder if it has anything to do with that memory of Marius', when he took care of Mere.] 

"You're sick, Claudette" She still remembered father telling her that Marius had killed their mother. 

Then Claudette said something that she had almost forgot about the shared memory. [He heard someone slam a door in our direction. He thought of a second meal. Father stopped him. Who did Marius' hear?] Monet's mind started rerunning it through her mind, and slowly put the pieces in place, but so much of it didn't make sense. She forgot about her plans and just collapse onto her bed, trying to piece the riddle together.

* * *

Daria walked by the Med-lab. She had been wondering how Richard was doing. When she arrived, she saw both Emma and Yvette were sitting by Rich's side. She just looked in, looking at the form of Richard Cale on the table. As she stood there, she heard a small whimperish sound. She spun to see Darrett standing there with a very hideous creature, one of the few creatures he could summon and control. He just looked in and said, "You know, during the wars and that, the Delerium was one thing that never happened. I think I know why though." 

Daria knew that Darrett was from the future. A very dark future. She just looked at him and said, "You mean he didn't suffer from it in the future?" 

Darrett shook his head and said, "Nope. In the future, only he and Godiva were alive, but Godiva probably wished to be dead. Rumor had it that she was both the meal and reluctant lover of her own lover. It was said that Rich enthralled Kyuukai and she feasted on Godiva." 

Daria shiverred at that. "I met those two. It hardly seems likely." 

Darrett then said, "According to rumor, Rich used that relationship to control Kyuukai. That's part of why I have a hard time adjusting to this timeline. I grew up seeing those two as monsters. Now, their my allies. It's just too hard to understand, but I have to understand it." She watched as the boy turned and walked off. 

She noticed that the creature started to follow, then stopped and looked at her. In its whinney voice it said, "Darrett need to learn to make peace." The creature then followed Darrett again. 

She almost jumped when Yvette said, "He's got that Skeksis again. I hate those things." Daria turned to face her put her hand to her chest. Before she could say it, Yvette just said, "Sorry to scare you, saw you and Darrett out here." 

Daria just smiled and said, "It's ok. How's Rich doing?" 

Yvette just shook her head, "I don't know. I've never knew about this." 

Daria took Yvette's hand in comfort. "He'll pull through. He wouldn't leave you behind." She saw a thankful smile come from Yvette's face. She then asked a question that had been on her mind since Soundwave's attack. "Yvette, how can you tell that someone, ummm..." She couldn't get the words out. 

Yvette nodded and said, "You just know in your heart. It happened like that for me and Rich. It's hard to explain how you know, but you just know. No one can set that up. We spend time together, and we love the time we are together. Why do you ask?" 

Daria just lowered her head and told Yvette. "I think I'm falling in love with Mondo, but I don't know if he shares the feelings." 

Yvette just smiled and said, "You'll never know until you ask him. Ask him out. The worst he can do is say no." 

Daria just looked at her and said, "What if he does say no? I don't think I can take that." She was scared that Mondo would reject her. She didn't think she could deal with the ache of that little word. 

Yvette then said, "Think of how much pain you'll be in if you don't ask him. The unsureness of the whole thing might just eat you up inside. The only way is to ask him." 

Daria just smiled and said, "Thanks Yvette, I think I'll do that." She noticed that Yvette smiled. It gave her confidence. She started to leave the Med-Lab. She was going to do it. She was going to ask Mondo on a date. 

She turned to thank Yvette again, but she heard Emma shout, "Yvette, get ready." She knew what was happening. She remembered how Emma explained it. Rich was reliving a past memory.

* * *

Emma had just time enough to call Yvette into the room. She noticed how active Rich's brain got with this one. It must have been a vivid memory. Something he remembered very well. The second Yvette got into her chair, they were off. Soon enough, they appeared to be next to twelve people. She heard Yvette say, "My God, it's the trial." She glanced over at the one table and saw Davis Skinur, Soundwave, sitting there. 

She watched as the trial unfolded around her. The procescuting attorney stood up and said, "Procecution calls Richard Cale Jr. to the stand." Emma watched as Rich was escorted to the stand by two people. One looked liked an FBI agent, while the other looked like a police officer from town. She came to the conclusion that both were there to protect Rich. After he was sworn in, the two stepped back and the D.A. just said, "Master Cale, can you tell us the events of the day in question?" 

She noticed Rich swallowed and started to speak. "I was doing some banking for my parents. It was while I was there that Soundwave attacked. Everyone was scared. I stood there as Soundwave walked over to me. He smiled and proudly introduced himself. He mocked me cause I didn't realize it. He then told me how he was going to frame me." 

She watched as the Defense attorney shot out of his chair and said, "Objection, heresay." 

The judge just said, "Overruled, Continue Master Cale." 

She watched as Rich swallowed and said, "That was when the FBI, arrived. They told Soundwave to surrender. He was prepared to send me in his place, but I had latched onto his ability. I used it against him. I didn't want to, but he had fooled me, and I wanted the madness to stop. It was a great strain on me, and I eventually collapsed. At that time, the FBI took me into protective custody." 

Before the Defense attorney stood up, she watched as Davis stood up and shouted, "I get you for that Rich. I'll kill you." The FBI and the police officer rushed to protect Rich, and Emma could see it, fear in Rich's eyes. 

At that moment the memory ended. Emma just sat there in shock and said, "Now I understand why Rich wanted to disappear from Easton. He felt safer out here. I wonder if he regrets coming out here." 

Yvette looked at her and said, "I don't think he does." Emma smiled as she remembered the love that the two shared. Yvette then said "Besides, he told me so." 

Emma just chuckled and said, "Well then, I have no choice but to believe it." The two just laughed. They were laughing so hard they didn't notice Jono looking in the room. She looked at him and said, "What's wrong, Jono?" 

Jono looked nervous as he said _"There's a bloke on the phone wanting to talk to Rich. He insists that Rich would want to hear this and that he's here."_

Emma quickly got up and ran to the phone in the hall. This scared Emma. No one knew Rich was here, not a single soul, except his family. She quickly picked up the phone and said, "Yes, I think you have a wrong number." 

The man just spoke and said, "I'm with the FBI. I was assigned to the case after the agent that he helped left. I'm calling from somewhere in Georgia. We saw the news broadcast after the show, and then head of some guy in armor ripping up the area down here. We found out from his mother were you were. We're offering this as a warning. Someone is coming after him, and we'll do what we can to stop them, but you better be ready to run or fight." Emma felt the blood drain from her. The man then said, "Don't worry, this is staying under our hat here. Rich is under FBI protection, as is his friends." 

The man hung up. He didn't say his name, but she knew he wasn't lying. She then turned to Jono. "Get everyone together. We need to be prepared. Juggernaut is coming. Bring them to the Med-Lab." She watched him run out of the Med-Lab. She then returned, and just the look on Yvette's face told her that the girl knew something was wrong. 


	41. Visions of the Past, Tales of the Future...

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

If I Had a...Delirium 

Visions of the Past, Tales of the Future...part II 

Mondo just sat in the TV room, watching a film. It was late, but he couldn't sleep. No one could. Everyone was worried about Rich. He wondered what Rich was going through. It had him worried. His mind was on that thought when he heard Daria ask, "May I sit down here?" 

He looked at her, smiled his ever friendly smile, and said, "Sure, I'd like the company right now." As she sat down, he noticed that she seemed happy to be sitting next to him. He liked Daria, a little bit more than a friend, but he was scared to ask her out. Scared she might say no, but then no was just a word to him. If she said no, he'd just move on, if she said yes however, he'd be more happier than he was now. He turned to face her, and said, "I'd like to ask you something." He was surprised that she said the same exactly same thing. 

She let out a small laugh and said, "You first." 

He smiled and felt nervous. "I was wondering if you would like to go out on a date." 

He saw her eyes light up as she said, "I was just about to ask you the same. And I'd love to go out on a date with you." Right then, he could tell that she liked him too. 

He was about to ask her when they should go out when Jono entered the room. _"Sorry to interupt you two, but Emma want's to see us all, right away."_ He left as fast as he appeared. Now he was a bit more worried. Emma and Sean both mentioned the threat of Juggernaut, and he was worried that this person was on his way to the school. 

Daria just stood up and looked at him. "Maybe we can use a survalance as a date." She gave him a wink. He thought about it and relized that it would be a good idea. They could still meet, and they would be doing their job. He then got up and they went to the Med-Lab. 

On the way, he just said, "How long were you thinking about that question?" He was curious, about how long she had waited to ask him. 

She looked at him and said, "Since before Soundwave attack, I was wondering if you had feelings for me. How about you?" 

He started to blush. "Since the occurance at the museum. I was worried about about you during the whole time." He saw her smile. It brought something to his soul to see that. He figured that must be what love felt like. The completeness of one's spirit that is the feeling of love. He was almost lost in that thought as they entered the Med-Lab. 

Mondo noticed that some of the students had gotten to sleep, but they didn't look to rested, especially Monet, as she said, "Emma, why were we all so rudely awakened?" 

Jubilee just looked at her and said, "You mean you got to sleep? I've been so worried, I couldn't sleep." 

He heard Sean then say, "What's up Emma, you didn't even try a psychic summons?" 

Emma looked at him and said, "With all the jaunt's Yvette and I have made into Rich's subconscious, I don't think I could try and summon that way. I have grave news. We received a call from the FBI. Someone who was given the charge of Rich's safety felt it right to call us and inform us that Juggernaut is making his way her." 

Mondo felt his heart drop then. He just said, "Is there anyway to stop him?" 

Jubilee just said, "If I remember right, a psyonic attack stopped him, but the trick is getting the helmet he wears off." 

Emma then said, "Which means we have to weaken him down someway. Detain him until we can get Rich safe, and prepped for attack. I want some of you to act as look outs. Monet..." 

Mondo just watched as Monet said, "I shall help Yvette in your place." 

He noticed as Emma gave her a stern look and said, "No. You are to act as both psychic and physical strength. I don't want you to help in the mental healing of Rich." Mondo noticed that Monet appeared to be fumming at this, but the shouting didn't start as the machines monitoring Rich went off again. He noticed as Yvette started to loose consciousness, but Emma just said, "Oh no. She won't be able to handle everything. I better get in there." But Mondo noticed as Yvette appeared to have passed out. She was no longer part of the real world.

* * *

Yvette realized it the second she entered her lover's mind. Emma wasn't there. She hoped she could get back. She wondered what she would see. Soon she was in the memory Rich was reliving. He was a teenager. She watched as he was in a room she hadn't seen before, but something about it seemed familiar. She watched as he looked in awe and said, "I didn't know they had a boy. I wonder if we could be friends." She watched as he walked over to a book that was open on top of a bookcase. He looked like he was looking over the words. "I wish I could read French better." Yvette felt herself tremble. French was Monet's native language, which meant that it was also Emplate's native tounge. 

She noticed as he smiled. He must have recognized a word. He just said, "This must be that Lovecraft story. Maybe I can make it out." She watched as he started to turn the pages, but he became a little more perplexed. He then said, "That's weird, there's nothing after this page." She watched as he lifted the book and looked under it. "Journal? Is this thing a diary? It can't be. Those names are fiction." She noticed that he started to shake a bit as he placed the book down. 

She heard a female voice shout out, "Richard, what are you doing in here?" She turned as he did to face an African woman. 

He looked upset as he said, "I was just walking the hall when I saw the room. I didn't know you had a son. Will I get to meet him?" 

She looked at him and said, "I don't think so. He spends alot of time with his father. Besides, I don't think he would appreciate you in here, and he knows what people do." She noticed Rich swallowed as if it scared him. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, this will be our secret, now would you like to help me with the twins. I need to make some dinner, and I want you to keep an eye on them." 

She watched as he smiled and said, "Alright, I'll look after the girls. I think little Monet likes when I play my flute." She realized it then. Rich never met Emplate, but somehow, some way, he knew Monet's family. Then another thought hit her mind, what bothered Rich about the journal. When she focused on that thought, she was out of Rich's memory. She openned her eyes and she was back in reality. Everyone just looked at her. 

Emma was the first one to ask the question, "Yvette, what happened?" 

Before anyone else asked, she quickly bolted out of the room. She needed an answer to the question of the journal. She heard Emma and the others following her. She ignored their questions. She needed to find an answer. She ran directly for Rich's room in the boy's dorm. When she entered it, she ran right to his desk. She noticed him writing in a book once, and he told her that it was his journal, and she could only look in it if he was unconscious, or if he was around. He was unconscious. However, she had to do something first. She quickly turned on his tape player, and the music was playing. It was something New Age. She then opened the journal. The music had a calming effect as she reached a page. On it was, "July 5. Just discovered the identity of my great-grandfather's cousin. I would never have pegged the character actually existed. I wonder if Derceto and the other places in the series are real as well. To think that my search into this would have been spawned by that journal long ago. I wish I knew who owned that journal, but something makes me wish I don't want to know. This is a dangerous topic." 

She closed the book as she heard Emma say, "What did you find out, Yvette?" She turned only to see Emma there. Before she could ask, Emma said, "I had them get ready in case Juggernaut arrives, now what's up." 

Yvette sighed and said, "I don't know how to explain it. Rich was in a room I never saw before, but I knew of it. He looked around, and found some stuff. He remarked that he wish he knew French. Then an African woman came in, scolded him for being in the room. It was her son's room." 

Yvette could see the concern in Emma's eyes as she said, "Was it...." She didn't want to say the rest of the question. Yvette understood why. 

Yvette nodded and said, "The woman asked for his help keeping an eye on her girls. One was named Monet." She heard Emma gasp. She then said, "I think that there is more to it. Rich started keeping a journal, after seeing Emplate's, not knowing it was Emplate. Let me show you something." She motioned Emma over as she started up Rich's computer. After it started up, she put a CD-Rom in and the game started. She then said, "Rich's journal said that his great-grandfather's cousin was the main character in this game. I'd have to read more, but I don't want to. Rich told me only to open it if he was unconscious or the unthinkable happened, and if I did open it, to be playing anything New Ageish" 

Emma looked at her and said, "I understand. Right now, shut his computer off, hide that journal, and let's get back to the Med-Lab. If Rich jumps into another memory, we don't want Monet fishing around in there, especially if their families have met. There must have been a reason they kept him and Emplate secret from each other." 

Yvette thought about it for a while and then said, "Emma, the cat must be the key. The cat must hold the answer to the riddle of how they knew." 

Emma just said to her, "Animal's supposedly have a sixth sense, maybe. What did he call it?" 

Yvette thought about it and then said, "Grimore. Strange name for a cat." 

Emma said, "I'll have Sean give Hank a call, maybe Hank can shed some light on the cat." Yvette nodded. She knew Emma was right about that. Now they had to get back to the Med-Lab, before Rich had another mental attack.

* * *

Sean had been greatly puzzled by the current turn of events. It seemed as if every jaunt that Yvette and Emma took into Rich's mind meant more secrecy. He was getting tired of it and waited at the door to the guy's dorm. He watched as Yvette and Emma left Rich's room. As they walked toward him, he just held his hand, "Alright ladies. I'm starting to get a little tired of all yur secrets. Everytime one or both of you jaunt into Rich's mind, ye keep us in the dark." 

He listened as Emma just said "I don't think you want to know all that we discovered so far." 

He looked at her sternly and said, "I don't care. If it means anything, I shouldn't be kept in the dark." He noticed that Yvette looked at him with a bit of worry in her eyes. This was something she worried about. He just looked at her and said, "Yvette, ye got to know that this could be something that affects the entire team." 

She just looked at him and said, "Father, I think it would be worse if we told everyone." This made him wonder if he wanted to know, and if he should have done what he had done. 

He looked at Emma and said, "I have a feeling I shouldn't have asked Monet to observe his thoughts when his mind went into another memory." He was almost knocked down as Yvette ran out of the building. He noticed that Emma started to follow her. He quickly caught up with her and said, "Ok, what's the problem?" 

Emma just psyonically said, [We figure that Rich's family knew Monet's family, and also, that both families went to great lengths to keep the two boys apart.] Sean realized what that meant. 

He just said, "You mean that....Saints perserve us." He ran as fast he could to head off Monet. He then said, "Do you think that Monet was aware of any of this?" 

Emma just said, "I don't think so. I hope that she doesn't find out about this. The twins might not take it too well." He nodded with that. He followed as they ran into the main building where the med lab was. 

When they came upon the Med-Lab doors, Sean noticed as Monet was pounding on the doors. He heard her yell, "Yvette, Sean asked me to scan Rich's mind during the next attack. Let me in." 

Sean just yelled, "Don't worry about it Monet, just start getting ready if Juggernaut attacks. We need to be able to protect Rich." Monet just looked at him and it just worried him. There was something in the look she gave him, that worried him. He watched as she turned and left. He sometimes wondered about the split mind that Monet had. As they walked over to the Med-Lab doors, he could tell that an attack had just started, and Yvette had taken control and delved in. 

Emma looked in and said, "I guess we have only to wait. In the meantime, there is something I'm wondering." He watched as she walked over to the vid-phone. 

He looked at the number she was dialing. "Calling Hank?" It was a question that he already knew the answer to. 

She nodded and soon enough, Hank's furry blue face appeared on the screen. "Yes. Ah Hello Emma, Sean. How is everyone doing?" 

Sean just said, "Everyone is fine except for Richard. He's fallen ill with something called the Cale Delerium." 

Hank just stroked his chin as he said, "I take it that it affects the family members." 

Emma just responded, "Yes Hank, but I want to ask you one question about something? Richard is reliving past memories, and in a few is a cat." 

Hank's eyes lightened in recognition. "Ah yes, the feline familiar." The term almost went over his head until Hank said, "Richard said that family cat was an odd cat. He just never fathomed how right he was." 

Sean just looked at his friend in the X-Men and said, "What do you mean, Hank?" 

Hank just smiled and said, "You see, I looked into records from the Cale's homeland. With each family member that was head of the family, they are accompanied by a feline during the descriptions. The feline is a familiar, bound to the family through the life of the family. He had thought the cat was carefully replaced with an identical cat, but it appears through out history." 

Sean was a bit surprised at that. "Hank, are ye tell us that Rich's family is some kind of warlocks?" 

Hank shook his head and said, "No, I do not think that they are Wicken, because the Cale's obviously have ties to the church. This throws a puzzler on what their title is, but I can tell you the cat means something. Ownership of the cat is like saying this is the head of the family. I wish I could learn more about it." 

Sean just smiled and said, "Well, Hank, thanks for the info." The call ended and Sean sighed. He then turned to Emma and said, "You know, the more we find out about Rich, the more I wonder which is tougher for him, being a mutant or being a Cale." 

He watched as Emma turned and said, "Well, maybe Yvette can tell us what was on his mind this time. She just came out of the Med-Lab." 

He openned the door to a private room and said, "Yvette, could you come over here." He noticed that she looked at bit nervous. Something deep down inside him wanted to not know what she had seen, but something nagged at him. When she got into the room with him and Emma, he just said, "What was on Rich's mind this time Yvette, that it has you nervous?" 

Yvette just said, "He was writing in his journal." He noticed that Emma's eyes widen as if she knew what Yvette was talking about. 

Sean looked at the both of them and said, "Care to let me in on this?" He had to admit that the reaction to this news had him intrequed. He wanted to know about this journal. 

Emma just said, "This journal he's writing in is highly unusual. Only other person who has looked into it was Yvette." 

Yvette nodded and said, "He said he was in a town not to far from here, when he saw something odd. He followed it from a distance, until something happened, like it saw him. He retreated back to where his folks were staying." 

Sean looked at her and said, "Do you think it should be something we should worry about?" She just shrugged. He didn't know what to think. It was starting to turn out that Rich had more secrets than Monet.

* * *

Jubilee looked over her boyfriend and Angelo as they searched the room. "Do you guys honestly think this is a good idea? You don't even know if Darrett can do it." Angelo had come up with the briliant idea of using some of those collectable card game characters to have Darrett create help. She didn't think it was too good. 

Angelo just looked at her and said, "Chica, I used to play these games with my cousins, and my friends. I think it might help tip the scales in our favor." 

Everett looked at her and said, "You have to admit, it might help us stop Juggernaut if he gets here." He then turned to Angelo and said, "Found some Magic cards." 

Jubilee just shruged as the idea started to make some sense. "Ok, let me look." She started searching through all the stuff in the room. She had no idea what would be good for this plan. 

She heard Angelo say, "Ok, found my Jyhad game, unopenned. Probably some good creatures in there." 

As she continued to search and found a box. She looked at it very puzzled. "What's Mythos?" She was almost knocked over as Angelo sped over to her. 

Angelo looked at it and smiled. He motioned Everett over and said, "Now this was the motherload of monsters. We should be able to use one of these." Jubilee looked at one of the cards. For some reason, the picture didn't give her much hope. 

Everett looked at the same card and said, "Ang, you think Darrett will be able to control these things?" 

She notice that Angelo looked concerned as he said, "Not this one, but maybe this one." She looked at the card and saw what looked like something out of a bad monster movie, one where you could tell the guy was wearing a rubber suit. 

She started to wonder why she was having an odd feeling about Angelo's plan. She then started to worry about Rich. She had a nagging feeling to check on him. She just turned to Everett and Angelo and said, "Hey guys, maybe we should check on Rich. I have this funny feeling that we should check on him." They both nodded and they went over to the med-lab. 

When they reached the building and approached the med-lab, they walked right into Emma, Sean and Penny coming out of a room. She heard Angelo drop all his cards as he said, "Sorry. Didn't mean to run into you." 

Sean looked at them and said, "What's with all the cards?" She didn't know if he already had an idea or not. 

She watched as her boyfriend quickly came to the explination. "Angelo had a clever idea. Use these creatures from the card games to help us agains't Juggernaut." 

Emma looked at them and said, "I take it then that you were on your way to see Darrett." 

She nodded and then heard Penny gasp. She looked at her surogate sister as she knelt down and picked up one of the fallen cards. "This is it," was all she said. It was the same card with what she thought was a guy in and ugly suit. She noticed that there seemed to be like a psychic talk between Emma and Penny. 

When it was over, Emma turned that card over and looked at the back. She then said, "Alright. I want all of these cards right now. I don't want you having Darrett try to summon anything from these cards." After hearing that, she noticed that Angelo seemed reluctant about handing the cards over. 

She watched as he started to argue, "Emma, these things are fake. They're not real." 

Sean just said, "They may not be real, but do you know how powerful they are." Jubilee just watched as Angelo shook his head. He didn't know. 

She heard a sound and turned her head. She saw the door to the med-lab close. She didn't like that. "Ummm.. who just went in the med-lab?" She noticed a scared look crossed Penny's face, as well as Emma's and Sean's. 

She head Sean go, "Oh no. She didn't." The three ran for the door to the med-lab, and she, Everett and Angelo followed. When they got to the door, they found the door was locked, and Monet was sitting near Rich, as if she didn't see them at the door. She then heard Sean go, "We got to get in there before...." Jubilee watched as the machine's monitoring Rich came to life. Instead of Emma and Penny, this time Monet would be in Rich's mind, and that idea unnerved Penny, Emma, and Sean. For some reason, it was unnerving her as well. 

Sean was about to use a scream when Jubilee held up her hand. She had an idea. "I might be able to pick this lock. Besides, we might need the door in one piece later." She noticed as Sean nodded, and she began trying to pick the lock.

* * *

Monet was struggling to get control of her body back. She didn't know what Claudette was going to try, but she had to stop her sister. She noticed that instead of being in the confines of their mind, they were in a house. She then heard her sister mutter, "Damn. This isn't home. I thought that punk had been in our house." She quickly came up behind her sister and grabbed her. She started to struggle as she said, "Trying to control me again, Monet. You can't hold be back forever." 

Monet pushed her sister down and then noticed that they were at the top of a stairwell, where a young Rich was looking down. He had a book by him. She had her sister pinned as she said, "Well, it looks like you were wrong sister." 

She heard voices from below and Claudette looked at her and said, "But maybe I did find something. Listen." She noticed her sister had an evil grin on her face. Monet didn't like that grin one bit. 

She had to regain control. "I will, but first." She started the mental merger, so she would appear to be a 16 year old, in case Emma jumped in. She knew Claudette had locked the door, but they would find a way in. 

When she finally merged, she heard a voice shout, "You'll never get that book, Marsh. We know what you plan to do with it, and we even managed to get hold of the land." 

She heard another voice say, "You're family won't hold the book forever." This voice sounded unearthly. "I know that one day, your son will hold your title, and your company. I doubt he will be as wise as you on the book in question. He doesn't even understand what your family is, despite what your father tried to teach him. Besides, he'll think I'm one like him." She saw a figure move towards the door. She then noticed that Rich backed away from the railing. She saw why. It appeared the man was a mutant, all scaly with a malformed face. He then said, "He won't suspect that I am a hybrid, not a mutant." He turned and left and she saw Rich head toward a room. 

She wanted to follow, but she felt herself being yanked out of the memory psyonicly. When she blinked, Emma was staring her straight in the face, obvoiusly upset. "Monet St. Croix. Can you explain disobeying an order, and locking us out of this room, when we needed to be in here at the time." 

Monet quietly swallowed and said, "I was wondering if I might be able to help. I thought you would try and stop me from helping, so I locked the door. I meant no harm." 

She noticed that Emma's expression didn't change. Emma just said, "What is happening in Rich's mind is that he is reliving the past. A past he has forgotten. A past he doesn't want to truely remember. It might be disturbing to him, and you might have done something, inadvertently, to damage his memories. I must ask this, what did you see?" 

Monet quietly gulped as she said her answer. The sight had unnerved her abit. "It was a man. He looked like a mutant, but he said he was a hybrid. He was talking to Rich's parents about a book and something else." 

She noticed everyone was looking at her in disbelief, until she heard Angelo say, "Monet, did he look something like this?" He showed her a card. She almost gasped in disbelief. It was the same exact image, and the last name was the name mentioned. She nodded, and Angelo said, "Umm, Emma, I'm starting to get major freaked out." 

Emma looked at the card, and Monet understood Angelo's fears. She listened as Emma said, "Angelo, I think you better ditch the card idea, and give just these cards to me. Monet. I want you to go and prepare yourself for a battle with Juggernaut. Yvette and I shall stay here. Everyone else, start keeping an eye out. He may arrive any minute." She then faced her and said, "Monet, do not try this again. It for the best of everyone. I plan to talk to Rich about this when he recovers." She nodded and left the room with the others. She noticed that Sean went with Angelo, Jubilee and Everett. 

As she headed to the grotto, she heard Claudette say, [A book. Hybrid. I wonder if it has anything to do with Marius' journal.] Claudette had a way of doing that to her. Monet started to focus on repressing Claudette, but she wasn't trying anything, right now.

* * *

As they walked with Sean, Everett couldn't help but wonder what was unnerving about the memory Monet had observed. He decided to ask the question. "Sean, what's going on? What is getting you worried?" He heard Sean sigh. It didn't sound like he wanted to hear an explaination. 

Sean just said, "We are finding alot out about Rich's family, and it is starting to worry us. I think it's why he wanted to get away from his home life. Ironically, some of what he's seen in real life, we are only seeing in pictures, like those cards you had Angelo." 

He noticed as Angelo swallowed quietly. "I know. It's kind of unnerving knowing that stuff exists. How does Rich manage to cope knowing this stuff exists." 

Everett listened as Sean just said, "Cause it intrests his family. I don't even know if he realizes that he still has the intrest as deep as it is." 

Everett felt abit confused at this. He looked at Sean and said, "Sean, it sounds like he's trying to run away from his problems, but he's running back to them." 

Sean just said, "Everett, the truth of the matter is, he's not even aware he's running back to them. He's in an odd bliss about what is going on. He's not aware that he's heading back into what he strived to leave, but that isn't important as the oncoming threat. Jubilee, I want you here to help in delaying Juggernaut." Everett felt his heart fall. He was worried that Jubilee would get hurt. 

He quickly looked at her and saw the same feeling in her eyes. He then said, "Sean, I'd like to stay and help here." Everett noticed how Jubilee looked at him when he said that. It was filled half with worry, half with relief. 

Sean just looked at the two of them and said, "Alright, just start training with Monet. I'll be sending Darrett over there soon." Everett turned and left with Jubilee. 

As they left the building, he heard her say, "Ev, you didn't have to stay. Juggernaut's as tough as they come." 

He just looked at her and told her the truth. "I want to stay. I felt bad when I happened upon you after Soundwave caught you. And what Emma said you were living out, it made me feel worse. I don't want anything like that to happen to you." The second he stopped speaking, she hugged him. He knew right then she understood his reasons. From there, they just walked to the Grotto. 


	42. Visions of the Past, Tales of the Future...

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

If I Had a...Delirium 

Visions of the Past, Tales of the Future...part III 

Darrett just sat in his room. He knew he would probably stay behind to fight, not do the recon. He looked over the catalog he had made. Most of his time that he was alone, he spent writing down names of villians in literature. He had found many name, hoping he could control all of them. Now he was faced with a problem. This Juggernaut was mean and powerful, which meant he might need power to help the team. However, the only things he could bring forth that could seriously detain this foe was way out of his control. He looked to the pages contain grunt like creatures, henchmen with little intelegence. He frown at what he saw. The only one that he felt would handle the job, might turn on him. After that man he summoned once, Emma forbid him to summon something he couldn't control. His thoughts were interupted when he heard someone knock on his door. He closed his book and said, "Come in." He looked up to see Sean and Angelo enter the room. He looked at Sean and said, "I take it you want me to help fight." 

He watched as Sean nodded and said, "Aye. But can ye congure something that we know will help?" It was the same question he was pondering. 

He then heard Angelo add, "Nothing from Quake." It sounded odd, but then he thought of the pages he was looking at. It fit together for some reason. 

Darrett stood up and said, "I think I might be able to do something, but it might not help much. I could summon a few minor grunt like characters. Hopefully, they can keep this Juggernaut character detained." He had a few in mind. 

Sean looked at him and said, "Anything that can keep him detained for a bit. We want to minimize the risk to Rich by possible moving him before Juggernaut gets in the door." 

Darrett shruged. "Not unless you want it attacking us. I wish I could give you more." 

Sean looked at him and said, "That's alright. I want ye to get to the grotto and train abit. This is one of the toughest advisaries that Gen X has ever gone up against, so I want ye prepared. The rest art going to do recon." He nodded, and understood his role. He left with Sean and Angelo. He was still perplexed by the comment Angelo made, but that would have to wait.

* * *

Emma sat in the chair opposite Yvette. They had been waiting for a while for the next memory in Rich's mind. She still held the cards that she had confiscated from Angelo. She eyed them with what she could only call an unnerving wonder. Did such beings exist, or were they the creation of an author who was called the master of horror by Stephen King. What worried her more was that that almost all the stories he wrote were about the are of New England, near where the school was. She was thankful when Yvette finally said, "Emma, I'm scared. Juggernaut, and now all this. I wish I could understand it all." 

Emma looked at Yvette and said, "I wish I could say I could, but I fear the only one who can is shutting it all out because he doesn't want to accept it. It's very scary to think that this is the truth." 

Yvette gave her a questionable look as she said, "What do you mean?" 

Emma sighed and said, "In my younger day, I read a few books. One of them was writen by this man." She handed Yvette one of the cards. "He wrote very gripping and terrifing novels of horror. His work has spawned many things, however I fear that he wasn't writing fiction. I fear he was........" She never got to finish the sentence. The devices went off again. She looked at Yvette and said, "Get ready." 

Yvette just nodded and soon they were in Rich's mind. She looked around the room and noticed something she was hoping that only they might glimpse. It was the room of two twin girls, both infants. She faced the door and saw Rich being pushed into the room by a woman of African decent. Almost instantly, she knew what she was going to experience. She just watched as the woman said, "Richard, what ever you do, do not open the door for anyone except me or my husband. Do you understand?" She watched as he nodded. He was a bit shook up. 

Yvette just stared in disbelief as she went, "Oh no. What's happening?" They both watched as Rich listen through an almost closed door. She then heard the screams of anguish. It was a death wail. She noticed the fear in Rich's movements as he slammed the door. 

Emma held Yvette and said, "This is what happened to Monet's mother. Rich was the only witness to it. He just never knew it." They watched as Rich barricaded the door with a dresser. He was moving with the energy of a scared man. They watched as he ran with both girls in his arms. 

As they followed him into a closet, Emma heard Rich say, "Don't worry, little ones. I'll keep both of you safe." She heard the one baby start to cry. She saw Rich hold the baby and coo into it's ear. "Hush little Monet. You'll be ok. It will all be ok. I'll keep you and Claudette safe until someone saves us." 

As the scene continued to play, she heard a man shouting. Emma recognized the voice. It was Cartier St. Croix, and he was yelling at someone. "Cartier arrived almost last minute. He was too late to save his wife." 

Yvette looked at her and said, "But he saved Rich. I wish I know how the two families knew." She still watched as Rich held the two twins in his arms. 

Emma was about to give the only answer she had when a third voice just said, "Well, if you wanted to know that, why didn't you ask earlier." They both turned to look at a ghostly figure looking at the two of them. 

Yvette didn't recognize the figure, but Emma did. She had seen the figure before, in the first memory she saw in Rich's mind. She looked at the figure and said, "You're Rich's grandfather, at least his spirit." 

Yvette looked at Emma and said, "Is he a ghost?" 

The man just laughed and said, "In a way, child. I would like to thank you both for helping my grandson. He's on the road to recovery. Now, you wanted to know about how the two families knew each other?" 

Emma just looked at the figure and said, "You mean you aren't part of Rich's mind." 

"Nope, I'm the real deal. Now do you want to know some answers. It might help you understand everything better. It will take Rich a few hours to recover. The poor boy's been really running the gauntlet here." She looked at Yvette who was utterly facinated by the gentleman. The man looked at her and smiled. Emma didn't know what to think, until the man said, "Well, I don't believe it. I remember you." 

That was it. Emma just said, "Alright. You have got our attention now. Care to fill us in." The figure just smiled, and once again, they were on the astral plane, but sitting at a table. 

* * *

Paige stood with Jono on the one side of the street. She was scared and nervous. Emplate would be one thing, but this was someone they had no idea of what could happen. She then heard Jono say, _"I think this is going to be a rough problem."_

Paige looked at him with concern in her eyes. "How bad of a problem?" 

She watched as Jono looked around and said, _"We can't detain him in town, not if he's coming through. I just hope we can detain him a bit at the target area."_

Paige knew what he meant. Before they came out here, Sean and Angelo had deviced a cunning plan. They would be the look outs, while Daria and Mondo set up the first section of detaining Juggernaut. Then it would be Jubilee's teams turn. "Think this will work? Ah mean with what we are up against." 

She felt Jono put his arms around her as he look into her eyes and said, _"I hope it does, cause when we left, both Yvette and Emma were out of it, and apparently are still out of it."_

She thought back to that, but was distracted when she heard the shouting. She knew what it meant. She turned in the direction to see a large form heading straight toward them. She and Jono just looked at each other, and ran in the direction of the target area. It was a stretch of road leading to the school. As they ran, Paige hit her communicator and said, "Banshee. He's on his way. He's heading for the first defense." 

Over the same com line, she head Banshee reply. "Alright Husk. Skin will get ye and Chamber out of the way. Ye all know what to do incase he tries to change course once he's in the trap." She looked at Jono and he nodded. 

She reported over the com unit, "Chamber's ready." At that point, they passed under a tree and she felt Skin grab hold of her and Chamber. As he lifted the two up, she saw Juggernaut striding down the road. 

As Chamber prepared, she watched as Juggernaut continued past them. She had finally seen this advisary for the first time. Just by his size, she figured that her husking ability would be of little help. She watched as he continued straight down the road, toward the school. Soon, the air was shattered by a sonic scream. She watched as Juggernaut just looked up and laughed. "You think that puny sound is gonna stop me." 

She watched as Banshee just hovered there and said, "Ye ain't gonna hurt the lad, Cain. We won't let ye." 

"I don't plan on hurting him. I plan on killing him. Besides, who's we. You and Xavier's puny X-Men." She noticed that Juggernaut was starting to reach for a tree. She realized that he was going to use it as a bat. 

Almost on cue, Chamber let out a blast of energy. She saw Juggernaut look in their direction. She look him square in the eye an said, "We're Generation X." As Juggernaut looked at them, she saw Daria come up behind him, with sledge hammers for hands. 

As the scene continued, Paige watched as Daria hit him with both hammers. Juggernaut just looked at her and said, "That tickled. Let me show you how to hit someone." He punched her so hard that she went flying. As Juggernaut laughed, she watched the ground shake. Soon, Mondo surged up from the ground, sending Juggernaut falling down. She watched as he caught Daria. 

Paige realized what was happen when Juggernaut fell. He had grabbed a hold of a tree and spun around, hitting Banshee, Daria and Mondo, and finally connecting with the tree that she, Chamber and Skin were in. She lost her balance and almost fell out, were Skin was holding onto both the tree and Chamber. As they clung there, she watched as Juggernaut continued to the school. While she could still reach, she hit her com badge and said, "Jubilee. He's heading your way. I hope you have a plan."

* * *

After Jubilee heard that Juggernaut was coming, she quickly thought it out. She had sent Monet to the Med-Lab, as the last line of defense. She had led both Synch and Darrett to the main room. She and Synch had taken spots on the upper level looking down at the door, while Darrett was standing on the lower level. Hiding in the shadows was the surprise they all had prepared for Juggernaut. She looked across the room and said, "Ready Synch." He looked at her and nodded. She then looked down at Darrett and said, "Think they can handle this." 

The boy looked at her and said, "I hope so. They're mindless drones. They won't rebel." That helped her confidence. She was nervous how well that part of the plan would work. 

She found out how soon she would find out as the door came crashing down, and the huge meanace just said, "Knock knock. I'm here." 

She and Synch were almost letting lose paffing him. She just yelled, "You're not going any farther, Juggie." 

She watched as he went to shield his eyes and shouted, "You again. Is Logan here protecting you again, or did you leave that loser." She felt her fury building, but she held it in check. If she lost her temper, she'd be of no use. 

She then saw the shadows move, and the huge armored creature started towards Juggernaut. She then heard Darrett shout, "This is the end of your mad quest, Juggernaut." 

Jubilee was startled when as one of the creature that had gotten close to Juggernaut was pummeled into pieces with one punch. He just yelled, "I don't need my eyes to take these out." She watched as he grabbed a claw from one of them and threw it at Darrett. It openned up and pinned him to a wall. She saw the disbelief on his face. 

She quickly yelled to Synch, "Fall back," but it was too late as Juggernaut pounded the other two creatures and threw the claws in the same way. Soon, they were all pinned to the walls. 

As she struggle to move her arms, Juggernaut just continue on, saying, "Was fun playing with you all, but I have a score to settle" He started laughing and continued on. 

She then remembered that Darrett had summoned the creatures. "Darrett, why don't you unsummon theses things, so we can stop him." 

She was distressed to hear him say. "I've been trying. It's as if once they are no more, they can't be unsummoned. Would make sense then." She realized what that meant. They had to wait until someone got them down. That also meant that all that stood between Juggernaut and Skitz was M. 

* * *

Yvette sat at the table as the image of Rich's grandfather said, "So you want to know about the families. I'll tell you a little bit." She was overwelmed by some of it, but she felt she needed to know. 

Emma then said, "Yes, how did both the Cale's and the St. Croix's know each other?" This was one of the key questions in her mind as well. She wondered how Rich's parents and Monet's parents knew each other. 

The figure just said, "Well, it goes back a long way. You see, the Cale's and the St. Croix's are part of a few families that try and preserve the good of the world. Out of all the families, there are three families which are considered the high figures. The Cale's and the St. Croix's are two of them. For the past centuries, the families have been trying to protect the world from those who would destroy it, be they natural or supernatural, human or mutant, terrestial or extraterrestrial. Our family has been knights of honor, Paladins." 

Yvette look at him and said, "You mean that Rich will be this Paladin thing." This somewhat blew her away. 

The figure nodded and then said, "Someday, but I hope not before the time arrives. You see, the patriarch of the Cale's, or the Paladin, at the end of one hundred years, had to always fight a figure know as Apocalypse. Apocalypse always left weakened, where the Paladin always died soon afterward. I fear if Rich went into the battle, he would not be able to survive, and the family line would cease to be." 

Yvette was petrified when she heard that. She then asked a question that was on both her's and Emma's mind. "How did you know about Emplate?" The figure looked at her and she then said, "Monet St. Croix's brother." 

The figure then frowned and said, "I always feared that the two would find out about each other. I don't think they have yet. You see, when Rich was just a baby, we visited the St. Croix's. We all did not know how Marius would turn out. It wasn't until Grimore reacted that we knew that the child was evil." 

Emma then said, "So, that's why the two were kept apart, to keep Rich safe." Yvette now understood alot about what had happened. The cat was special. 

She then remembered what he said before they were at the table. It puzzled her and she needed to know. "Sir, you said that you remembered me. How?" 

The ghostly figure looked at her and said, "When you were very young, maybe 2, I was in Yugoslavia with my family on business. Rich and you both met there. I also never saw Grimore so content. I kept in touch with your family, until the day I died. I was upset when they joined a few years afterword. They said that their daughter was taken by a monster." 

She heard Emma say, "The same monster that took her, is the same one you tried to protect Rich from." 

Yvette watched as the figure was saddened by this. "This is truely upsetting. How could all we tried to keep the children seperate manage to pull then back together." 

Yvette just said, "Because it happened that way. If it wasn't for Rich, I would still be afraid, still have no control over my ability. Without Rich, I would not feel safe. I'd be alone." 

The figure looked at her in almost surprise. He just said, "That's why Grimore was so content around you. He...." The figure stopped and then said, "You must go. Rich is in trouble, and you need to stop who's attacking." 

Emma looked at her, and she knew what she was going to say. "He's here." Almost instantaniously, they were back in the Med-Lab. Yvette looked out the window in horror as she saw Monet fighting the massive man in armor. She was scared. She then heard Emma say, "Penance. Skitz's vitals are stablizing. If we hold Juggernaut back long enough, Skitz will be able to fight." She tensed up to be ready, and at that moment, M came crashing through the window.

* * *

Cain Marko had finally reached his goal. This Generation X group was more pitiful that Xavier's X-Men, but he had to settle the score. He had just sent the African girl into the med lab and then entered where he saw his quarry laying on a bed. Then he was Emma Frost, with one other girl, who obviously was primed to fight. "Is this another pathetic attempt to stop me? You should know by now you can't stop me." The African girl came back at him with another punch, right at his helmet. He now understood why they were focusing on his helmet. "I ain't letting you pull any of your mind tricks on me." He grabbed the girl and threw her right at Emma Frost. He then saw the other girl come charge at him, with a sharp claw. He was startled when it glowed. He wasn't expecting that to happen. He was still confident that the claw wouldn't do anything. Then he felt it. He looked at he side of his arm and saw the cuts. The armor was sliced clean through. "You bitch. I get you for cutting my arm." 

She turned to face him and said, "That ain't all that's cut." He then felt then. His helmet felt lighter. He then heard a clang as it hit the floor. He was furious. He glanced quick at Emma and the other girl. Both were out. He then heard a voice shout. [I won't let you hurt him.] He looked at the girl. She was trying to stop him. 

He looked at her and said, "You may have the power to cut the armor, but you can't stop me, not even with mind tricks." He smiled when a crest fallen look crossed her face. She backed up near the bed. He started to approach. "First, I squash him for Black Tom, then I'll break you." 

He then saw something that startled him more than the glowing claw. He saw the boy's eyes open up, and glowing. He couldn't move. He glanced at Emma and the other girl. Still both out, which meant that the boy was doing it. He then heard the boy say [I won't let you hurt her. You can threaten me, but not my love. I won't have you hurting anyone else today.] 

Then Cain Marko felt a sharp stabbing pain rip through his mind. When it passed, he couldn't remember where he was. He looked around the room, stunned. All he could say was, "Where am I?"

* * *

Richard Cale laid on the bed in the Med-Lab. All he remembered was falling ill on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Now he had mentally stopped a madman in armor. He had no idea why that guy was there, but the person was threatenining his love. He felt Yvette hug him. He looked to face her and said, "Hello love. What happened while I was ill?" 

She didn't get to answer him, when he heard Emma say, "Rich, you're awake, but where's Juggernaut." He was confused by this statement. 

He then heard Yvette say. "Rich stopped him. He came through just at the nick of time." 

Now he was totally confused. "Can someone please tell me what happened?" 

Yvette took his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. "You fell ill with the Cale Delerium, and mention about Black Tom. Juggernaut, who you took care of, came for revenge." Rich felt himself go pale. 

He then realized what that meant. "What about the others? Are they ok?" 

Emma just looked at all who was in the room, and said, "We better check on them." 

Yvette just looked at them and said, "I'll stay here. I want to talk to Rich for a bit." He watched as Emma nodded and left the room with Monet. When the two were gone, he heard Yvette say {I had to tell Emma and Sean about your journal.} 

He looked at her, a little bit scared. That journal was a listing of eerie truths, at least he believed they were truths. {What did they say about it?} 

She frown and said, {A bit discomforting, since some of the towns you mentioned aren't far from here.} He sighed. He hoped that the journal would never be seen. He didn't mind Yvette seeing it, but knowing Sean and Emma knew about it was discomforting. Yvette then said to him {My love, Emma and Sean swore not to tell anyone. Hopefully you find all to be false.} 

He looked at her and held her close. He just said, {Hopefully, that will be true. I'm scared if the diary proves to be true. I have writen many things in that diary, and I always convinced myself that they were all my overactive imagination. I pray that it is.} 

Fade out... 


	43. Marked For Death

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Hunted 

Marked For Death 

Gayle Edgerton sat in her wheelchair in her England home. Not too long ago, she had traveled to America, all for the purpose of killing the man that put her in the wheelchair. No, not a man, a mutant whose abilities crippled her long ago. She still bore the scars of the pack she had made so she could obtain revenge. The mutant that gave her that change had doublecrossed her, but the whole experience had given her a chance to make peace. She looked at the photo on her mantle and asked the same question she asked every time she looked at it. "Jono, how are you doing right now? I can never make up for what I almost did to you, and for helping that Emplate being." 

She was surprised when a voice spoke behind her. "That's all the proof I need." She spun around in her wheelchair, and faced the being. He stood there with a gun in his hand. 

She eyed the strange man with fear, silently activating an alarm she had in case of emergencies. She then said, "Who are you?" She heard a loud shot and looked down. He had shot her. Where the bullet hit her, she realized that if she didn't get help soon, she would die. She looked at the man and just said "Why?" 

The man just looked at her and said, "To prevent more." His words didn't make to much sense, but it had something to do with Emplate, the being that 'recruited' her to help get Jono and his friends. She leaned forward, to act as if she would strike out at him, but she planned to play dead, hopefully not to become dead.

* * *

He stood over the body that collapsed out of the wheelchair. He deemed himself the Hunter, for he felt it was his task to stop them. He had been pulled into the fold once. Years ago, he was part of that evil being's group. When he broke free, he vowwed to stop the evil this being had passed on. He pulled out a list. As he looked at it, he marked off the name. "If you hadn't have sold your soul, Ms. Edgerton, you would have never met me." 

He heard a siren approaching. She was clever. He phased out of existance. A curse he obtain in mutancy. The hunger kept him linked to that evil. He knew this woman wasn't a mutant, but he felt that only those who were like him were targets, food sources. Once he removed all of them, he could end his suffering. He had long ago decided only to strike those far away from Emplate. This woman was the next name on his list. He walked up to the rooftop and looked again at the list. During his time with Emplate, he remembered the name that was next of his list. He looked at her name. "Ah yes, the reluctant enforcer. I know you have escaped, now I must end your cursed exitstance." He reached at his arm and felt the scars from that time. "Yvette Gyorgi, your time has come." 

* * *

Yvette Cassidy awoke screaming. She sat straight up in her bed. She was scared by this dream. She was with several people, mutants like herself, in a field, dead. At the top of the pile was Emplate. He, too, was dead. She didn't want to die, not like that. She wanted to live a long life, with her love, Richard Cale. When he came into her life, she had fully recovered from her experience with Emplate. She got out of bed and walked over to her closet. She opened the door and saw the restraints she had wore when she was Emplate's reluctant meal. She kept them as a reminder of her time with Emplate, but she also kept them so that Sean and Emma could get costumes that her skin would not ruin when she tensed up. At current time, she was gaining on Paige for most costumes used. She reached in and grabbed a dress and looked at the time. It was four hours until dawn, and she was scared about what this nightmare would mean. She opened her drawer and grab some other items and left her room. 

Nightmares like those scared her, and when she was that scared, she felt safe with only one person. She left the girl's dorm and made her way to the guy's dorm. It was a little cold, but she had gotten use to it, due to her living in the grotto until Rich came to the school. As she approached the guy's dorm, she found the one room with a light on. As she approached the window, she saw why the light was on. Rich was sitting at his desk, with his headset on. He was writing in his journal. She put her hand near the little signal device he placed on the window sill. She looked in the window as she began signalling. Sean and Emma didn't know about this, but she knew that they wouldn't be concerned until something happened. As she continued to use signal, she wondered if she would have to use the secret entrance machanism they came up with. For a minute or two, Rich hadn't responded. She started to worry, and noticed that she was minding the cold. She looked into the window and softly said, "Please, Rich, hurry up and open the window and let me in." She smiled when he finally looked her way.

* * *

Rich had his earphones on. He was listening to some one of the various Pure Moods CD's he had while he was writing in his journal. He spent years keeping this journal, and he had starting writing in it again. He had been writing for about an hour, when he heard the clicking of the signal he and Yvette had rigged. He turned his head toward the window and saw her out there. He didn't know how long she was out there, but he figured that she must have had a nightmare. He closed his journal and ran to the window. He opened it and reached out to help her in. "Yvette, what's wrong?" 

She smiled as he helped her in. "I had a terrible nightmare. It was horrible." He then realized that she was scared. When he finally got her in the window, she said, "Thank you. I was starting to feel cold out there." 

He then noticed that she was in her night attire. He had never seen her like that, ever. He held her close and asked, "My love, why didn't you put a little more on?" 

She put her arms around him and kissed him. {Because, I didn't think I'd be outside so long. Also, I thought you wouldn't mind.} She gave him a smile. Over all the time they had been dating, he had found that she had a sneaky wild side. It was one of those little facts he loved about her. However, back when they started dating, they swore not to go all the way. Rich had been raised on that belief, and he believed it. 

However, her sneaky wild side usual brought out his sneaky wild side. He returned the kiss and said, {I think you might be right. So what did you have a nightmare about.} He noticed that she shook. He held her close and whispered in her ear. "It's alright, my love, I keep you safe." He noticed that she started to calm down. He had been afraid that when she would tense up, she shed her outfit. He then psionically said, {Tell me when your ready to talk about it. Maybe you might want to get some rest.} 

She looked into his eyes and said, {Hold me, please.} He held her as he walked her over to his bed. As they climbed in, she turned to face him and kissed him. {Thank you, my love.} 

He smiled and returned the kiss. {Sleep well, my love.} He held her close, since she asked, but also since he deep down wanted to. This was a bit different from most times they held each other, mainly because of the situation. 

He was almost surprised when she kissed him and said, {At least I have something to hold onto for safety and comfort.} He felt her hold him tighter to her. 

He returned the kiss and said, {Love, I'll keep you safe.} He continued the kiss as she started to kiss in return. In fact, he felt that they would enter dreamland kissing. 

* * *

It was just as day broke at the Xavier School. Other times that he would be here, he would be here with his master. However this time was different, and DOA knew that. The one being that worried Emplate more than any of Generation X had just took a shot at Gayle Edgerton. Emplate still had a small grip of control on her, but that meant that Penance would be next. Emplate still had a link to the rouge of the group, but he had no control. DOA then remembered that if Generation X found him here, that he probably would not be welcomed, even though he was coming with a warning. All he been instructed to do was deliver the recorded message to Penance. He walked by the girls dorm. As he passed the windows, he placed a little window like object by it. It allowed him to observe what happened in each room. The first occupied room he found was obviously Jubilee's. As he looked in, he found the girl was asleep. He continued to the next window, and the next until he found the next room that had one of the Gen X-er's in it. Just from the items he saw, he could tell it was Penance's room, but she wasn't in there. He just muttered quietly, "Where are you, Yvette?" Then it hit him, she must be with Richard Cale. 

His thoughts were cut off when fireworks hit near his feet. He turned to see Jubilee leaning out her window. "I don't know what your up to, but Emplate won't succeed." He ran away from the building. He figured that they would start by checking Yvette's room. It might work to his advantage. He quickly ran for the guys dorm to find Yvette and Richard. When he reached the dorm. He used the same method that he used before. He found them in the first occupied room. He was surprised when he saw them in the room. However, he had a task to perform. He had to deliver the message. He tried to open the window, but he couldn't. He didn't want to look like he was attacking, but he had to get the message through. He knew that his master hoped that Yvette would come back to him when she saw the message. He also knew that if Yvette did come back to the master, Richard Cale wouldn't be too far behind. He struggled some more trying to open the window, but couldn't. He finally decided to do the one thing he could do.

* * *

Jubilee had swore she had heard something outside her window, and when she looked out, she had been right, in the worse way. She saw D.O.A., Emplate's little minion lurking at Penny's window. She was scared that Emplate was in there. She had shots some of her fireworks over at him and he ran off. Now she had a bad feeling that Emplate was already in there, and if not, he might be on his way over to Rich's room. She quickly left her room and ran to Penny's room. As she ran, Monet came from her room and said, "Jubilee, what is with all the racket? Some of us want to get some sleep?" 

Jubilee just continued to run to the door of her surogate sister's room and said, "Your brother might be here. I just saw DOA at Penny's window." Soon Monet was at her side. 

Monet looked at her and said, "I called Emma and Sean. I hope they try to see if Richard is safe." Jubilee agreed with that as she knocked fiercely on Penny's door. There was no time for patience. She quickly started to tackle the door, in an effort to break it down. 

As she tried, she looked at Monet and said, "Can you help me out here? This isn't a time for you to space out. Emplate might be abducting both Penny and Rich." Soon enough, Monet was tackling the door with her. 

As they continued, Paige and Daria had entered the halls. Paige just said,"What are you two up too?" It was at that point when the door finally gave. Jubilee was almost shocked when she saw the room was empty. She was scared that Emplate had taken Penny. 

Monet just said, "Jubilee saw DOA outside, and thought Emplate was in here. I think he wasn't, cause Yvette isn't her." 

Daria looked in and said, "Yvette isn't here, and that's a good thing?" 

Jubilee then realize what Monet had noticed. "She's right. There was no struggle. Besides, I don't think the place would be this nice if Emplate was in here. Penny would have put up a fight." 

She then heard the voice of Emma Frost say, "Then where is she?" 

Jubilee had an idea on the answer when they all heard glass breaking somewhere on campus. She had an idea where it was. All she said, "The only place she'd be safe, and when we get there, I think we will find the source of that sound." With that they all left the girl's dorm.

* * *

Yvette was startled when Rich left her in the dream world. All night, in their dreams, they were kissing. With the mental link they held when together, they could do this when ever they were asleep. Yvette opened her eyes and noticed Rich was now crouched on the floor, looking at something. She then saw the broken window. As he looked over the floor, she looked at the window at said, "Who would do such a thing?" She started to be afraid. It could mean many things. Worst of all things, it could mean that Emplate was in the room, just waiting to grab the both of them. 

He looked at her, for he knew what she was thinking. He just said in a reassuring voice, "I don't think it's him, love. He would just attack, and Soundwave wouldn't have let us move." She shuddered when he said that. Not to long ago, the mutant Rich helped put behind bars escaped, and almost killed them. He then said, "Besides, I don't think it was vandals. This thing they threw is like a communications item." 

She sat up in the bed and said, "Who would throw that the window, and why?" It was a puzzle. Who would send something for communicating with them, and was it for them. 

She watched as Rich studied it for a bit. He then said, "It for playback of a message." 

She looked at him curiously and said, "Playback. You mean someone delivered a message by throwing it through your window." 

He then said, "Which means someone got the wrong room, or the right room. Right now, there is only one way we can find out." She watched as he examined it again, and soon found what appeared to be buttons. He quietly said, "I think this one is play." As he pushed the button, a holographic image formed, one that frightened her. It was Emplate. Her natural fears started to take over and before the image had a chance to speak, it disappeared. Rich looked at her concern and said, "Yvette, calm down." 

She started to calm down. She realized she must have tensed up. She looked at him and said, "I'm sorry love, I didn't mean to ..." She looked at the bed covers and that, but they were all intact. She sighed in relief and then she heard the faint sound of fabric tearing. She lifted the covers and looked at her current attire. That little fright was ripping her night shirt. Everything else was intact, but her night shirt was coming apart at the seams. She looked at Rich, who was placing a bathrobe around his pajama's, and said, "Could you hand me...." 

He handed her her clothing as he said, "One step ahead of you, my love. I'll step outside. You get dressed, then I'll get dressed while you wait out in the hall. Once were ready, we need to show this message to Sean and Emma. Emplate's up to something, and I don't think he's here. Now stay calm." She watched as he picked up the device and left the room. 

That was one of the things she liked about Rich. He was a gentleman. The most they ever did was kiss. In their dreams, they kissed differently, longer and intimately, but never did they take advantage of each other. As she got out of bed, she watched as the night shirt she had worn, fell to the floor in shreds. She sighed. "I've lost more night shirts like that to those nightmares." One time, she had joined the other girls for a slumber party. She had a nightmare that night as well, and felt embarassed. She started to get dressed and looked at the picture Rich had on his nightstand. It was of the two at the local mall. They had it taken in one of those photo booths. When she finished getting dressed, she went over to the door. Just as she was about to knock, she heard voices on the other side. The others must have heard the glass break. She then started to worry. Even though both she and Rich had done nothing wrong, the others might think differently.

* * *

Rich stood outside his door waiting for Yvette to get dressed, when he saw some the other guys running over to him. Everett was the first to ask the question, "Rich, what was that noise." He didn't know how everyone would react if he mentioned that Yvette came to his room last night. Although they did nothing improper, he was never sure how the others would react to situations like this. 

Rich just stood against his door and said, "I think something cracked the window. I'd like to talk to Sean and Emma about it." 

He was caught off guard when he heard Sean saw, "Does it have anything to do with the fact that D.O.A was spotted near the girls dorm." He looked at Yvette's adopted father and swallowed. He wasn't sure how Sean would take the situation. 

Rich composed himself and said, "Would explain this." He held up the communicator device that was thrown threw his window. 

It was Darrett who looked at him suspeciously. "Is there a reason that you would be receiving a message from Emplate." He didn't like the tone of what Darrett was implying. He knew that Darrett didn't trust neither him nor Yvette. 

Rich just said, "If Emplate wanted to talk to me, he would have kidnapped me, Darrett." Darrett just looked at him, and Rich could tell that the boy had trouble accepting the fact that he and Yvette were on the side of the good guys. 

It appeared to be more difficult a situation to explain as all the girls came walking into the dorm. He watched as Sean turned and said, "Is Yvette alright?" Rich didn't know if Sean wanted to here the answer or not. 

Emma just said, "Jubilee has an idea where Yvette is, since Yvette isn't in her room, and Emplate wasn't there." He felt at that moment that all eyes were on him, which was true. 

Sean just walked over to him and said, "Alright lad, where is Yvette?" He could tell that Sean had a stern look in his eyes. He couldn't blame Sean, after all, Yvette was a second daughter to Sean. 

Rich didn't want to look in Sean's eyes, but he forced himself to, and said nervously, "She had a nightmare last night, and spent the night with me." He felt like he was about to get a severe assault of vocal attacks. 

He felt Sean put his hands on his shoulders as the Irishman looked in his eyes and said, "Ye didn't do anything. I could tell by the way ye answered the question. Scared, but ye told us what happened." He almost collapse in relief, when Sean said, "Now can you shed any light on her nightmare or why DOA was here." 

He quietly said, "Not the nightmare, but I think DOA was here to deliver a message to Yvette, the way you mentioned that DOA was spotted at the girls dorm." 

Jubilee, who he noticed was about to say something, said, "I hate to interupt but, how bad did the nightmare scare her." He had a feeling at what she was getting at. She then said, "Last time she had a nightmare that we knew of was when us gals had a sleep over. She wasn't to thrilled when she discovered she had a nightmare, more embarassed really." 

He felt everyones eyes on him, mostly Sean's as a worried father. He then said, "The message caused that, however, I left her so she could get dressed." 

He heard Emma speak in his mind. [You mean you saw part of the message.] He nodded and Emma continued, [You left after you realized what happened so she could get dressed in private.] He nodded again. She walked forward and said allowed, "I think Sean has nothing to worry about with Yvette. Now I suggest we all get dressed and meet to find out what Emplate wanted. When everyone left, she turned to face him with Sean and said, "Can we talk with you two for a moment." He had a little concern about what the questions were going to be, but he led them into the room.

* * *

Emma entered the room with Sean after the other kids had left. There was one thing she was wondering about when Jubilee said that Yvette might be in Rich's room, and that was how she got in. Yvette was sitting on the bed as they entered. She looked worried as she said, "Hello, Ms. Frost. Morning 'Father'." It was obvious to Emma that Yvette was worried about how it appeared to them. 

Emma decided to comfort the girl. "It's alright Yvette. We know why you were here so you can calm down." She noticed that it appeared like relief passed over the girl. 

Sean then said, "We were wondering how ye got in here. There was a bit of concern when ye weren't in yur room." 

Emma noticed that the look on Yvette's face told her that she didn't want to answer, but she did so anyhow. "Rich and I have set up a system at our windows. If either is awake, we trigger a signal. If not, we open the windows. We set it up just in case of this." 

Emma noticed the look on Sean's face. He was a bit worried, then he said, "I understand. Ye just feel comfortable and safer with Rich, so ye set up this system. I have to admit it's clever. I take it only ye two know how to work it." She watched as both Rich and Yvette nodded. She figured that whatever this system was, they hid the controls well enough to keep it a secret that not even D.O.A could find the way to open the window. 

Emma looked at Sean and said, "I think I'll talk with Yvette a bit. Do you think you could wait for Rich." She watched as Sean nodded and she lead Yvette out of the room. As they headed out of the dorm, she looked at Yvette and said, "Do you have nightmare's like this often?" 

She noticed the girl almost started to tense up. She started to calm down as she said, "No, not like this. It seemed real. Why do you ask?" 

Emma didn't want to say it, but she had too. "Yvette. Jubilee told us about what happened at the slumber party. What happened that you were embarassed?" She notice that the girl didn't want to say, but she had to know. 

The girl looked away as she said, "It was very embarassing, since, well...." Emma could tell the girl was struggling for her words, until she said, "You know how when I'm all tensed up, I look smaller than I actually am." 

Emma looked at the girl and said, "I don't see how..." And then she noticed what Yvette was saying. "I see. It made you feel uneasy." Yvette nodded. Emma put a hand on the girls shoulder and said, "It could have been a bit of jealousy, or even shock. Remember, at times, we still see you as Penance. Any change could be viewed as a very different change. 

She noticed as Yvette looked forward and said, "It wouldn't be so bad if when I got scared, I didn't run the odds of shredding my clothes. I mean, since you and 'father' worked at getting most of my clothes laced with the restraints fabric, it helps, but at night, I don't want any reminder of that." 

Emma just took Yvette's hand and said, "When you learn to control your abilities, you won't need those reminders, ever. It's just a precaution for now, and as you can tell, it's needed in the long run." 

Yvette nodded, and then said, "I guess it could be worse." 

Emma nodded in agreement and said, "Hopefully, it won't be worse." She had doubts in her mind about that, mainly because of the contents of that message was still unknown. 


	44. Locked On

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Hunted 

Locked On 

Sean waited as Rich got dressed. As he waited, he decided to ask the question that he didn't want to ask. "Rich, were you two ever going to tell Emma and I about this arrangement?" 

He heard the lad sigh. In that sigh, Sean could tell that there were tons of thoughts in the lad's mind. "No, we didn't think you would approve, sir." Sean could tell my Rich's formal tone meant that Rich wasn't speaking ot him as a teacher and friend, but as the father figure. 

Sean wanted to comfort the boy. "Lad, ye know that I trust ye judgement. I know that ye wouldn't take advantage of Yvette." It was the truth. "I just wish ye would tell us about what ye had up yur sleeves. Remember, we got a shock when we found out about ye journal." 

He heard another sigh escape the lad's lips. "I wish I never started that journal at times. I once checked out a college up in this area just to prove that I was making the stuff up. Instead I got more questions." 

Sean looked at the lad and said, "How so?" Sean had to admit, he was a bit curious. 

Rich looked at him and said, "A book was said to be owned at the college. That was my real reason. To prove it was a fake. I only found out that it was an altered duplicate. It made me wonder more. Who has the original, and what did they plan to do with it?" 

Sean could see the frustration in the lad's eyes. He then said, "Rich, lad, calm down. It's nothing to worry about right now. Right now, we need to know what Emplate be up to." He pointed to the communications device lying on Rich's desk. 

Rich looked at it and said, "Could mean anything. Right now, I have a feeling it was meant for Yvette, and that worries me." 

Sean started to get worried too. "Ye think he's giving her a choice to return or else." He watched as the boy nodded. "If ye think so, why is Emplate doing it this way?" 

He noticed Rich shruged as he said, "Only one person can answer that, and that's Emplate." Sean had to agree with the lad, and he could tell that the whole idea of a message from Emplate was worrying the lad more than he let on. 

Sean picked up the unit and said, "Then we'll all take a look at it together. Then, if we have to suspect anything, we'll all know what to expect from him." He noticed that Rich seemed more comfortable with that. At that, the two of them left the room.

* * *

Monet realized that she was holding everyone up. While she was getting ready, her sister had decided to try and take charge. By the time she regained control, her sister had already dictated her wardrobe for the day. She had barely time to look more dignified when Emma let lose with a psyonic summons. She ran as fast as she could to the room, and when she entered, she definatly got attention she didn't want. It was Jubilee who first remarked, "Monet, what happened to you? Decided to go slumming." 

Monet just glared at all who was laughing and said, "I think my sister was in a bit of kidding mood. She wasn't much on dressing proper." She couldn't say her real reasons, that her twin sister sided with Emplate at any chance. 

She noticed as Emma said, "I hope you plan to fix that after the meeting." She nodded and Emma motioned her to sit down. When she finally sat down, Emma said, "Now, we seem to have been visited by D.O.A." Monet knew that much. Then Emma said, "And it appears that he came not to attack, but deliver a message. So far the contents of the message are unknown." 

Right then, Monet heard her sister pipe up in her mind. [Marius must want Penny to come back to him, and bring Richard with her.] 

She almost yelled aloud to her sister when she noticed that Richard was going to press a button on the device. Instantly, an image formed into that of Emplate. It appeared to look straight at Yvette as it said, "Hello Yvette. I hope that you receive this message and hear it out, for it is in your best intrests. I don't know if you remember or not, but a while ago, I came to your school with a bunch of my Hellions, amongst them was one Gayle Edgerton." She noticed Jono appeared to take notice in the message. Soon, her brother's image spoke again. "I still have a small grip on her, but now she has been shot. Luckily, she isn't dead, but her attacker was Hunter." 

Monet heard a slight gasp and soft "Oh no." She noticed that Yvette started to tense up. She watched as Rich held her, but she heard her mutter, "It's coming true." It appeared as if Rich wasn't there at all. 

The image then continued, "I see you remember him, as you most likely remember his threat. I know he's going to visit you next. I figure that right about now you fear for your life, so I extend to you the offer of returning to me. He is not as confident yet to challenge me, but he will not attack you if you are with me, and also know that I am doing this out of kindness, for I offer the same protection to Richard. I will allow you full choice on what happens to him. I will give you one hour after you see this recording, upon which, Elane will come to hear your response. She has been ordered not to attack. In one hour.." and the image ended. Monet noticed that Yvette was more scared than ever. 

She then noticed Yvette was crying. She was first to ask the one question that was on everyone's mind, "Who is Hunter?" 

She noticed as Yvette said between sobs, "He's just what he calls himself. He's a hunter. He hunts down Emplate's enthralled, feasts on them, kills them. He used to be one like them, but he broke free. He doesn't believe that if you break free, you're free. He believes death is the only escape. He won't be happy until he has killed all the Emplate's and he includes me in that." She started to cry again, and Monet watched as Rich held her. 

Monet watched as Rich looked around an with a realization in his eyes. "She said she had a nightmare last night. This must have been it." 

In her mind, Monet heard Claudette say, [Aww, poor baby. Maybe I should tell our brother that she wants to come back.] Again Monet wanted to snap back at Claudette, but she knew an outburst would cause too many questions. 

Soon enough, she heard Jono ask, _"I don't like the sound of this. I mean, how does this guy even know where to look for you. And how did he know where to find Gayle?"_

In between sobs, Monet listened as Yvette said, "He's still linked to Emplate. He knows what Emplate knows. Emplate however vaguely know what he knows. Emplate won't attack him, not unless he attacks him first." 

Monet noticed as Rich looked at Yvette intently and said, "Like some of the stories about Lycanthropes?" She noticed as Yvette nodded to what Rich said. 

Sean then asked the question that she was pondering. "Lad, why did ye just liken Emplate to a Werewolf? He's more like a vampire." 

Rich turned to look at them all and said, "In some stories, werewolves and such are pack creatures, with one Alpha wolf and the rest are Beta. An Alpha cannot attack a Beta, unless the Beta attacks it first. If an Alpha harms a Beta, it harms itself, and breaks the control link. However, a Beta can attack a Beta." Monet noticed as Rich turned to face Yvette again and looked at her. "You had been a Beta Emplate." 

Yvette nodded, and Monet heard a gasp from everyone. "I had just been abducted from my home. He had killed my parents. I was taken to his hideaway, and he told me that if I didn't want to be his meal, I had to submit to him. I had been strong willed, so it would take a while to make me fully into an Emplate. I was one of his Enthralled, but not completely Entralled. I was still linked to him, but he was determine to keep me, either as a food source, or a slave. I had become a reluctant enforcer. I had to protect him, and keep others inline. I had been attacked many times by some of the others, and this made Emplate want me more as a food source." 

Monet noticed that Jubilee asked the next question, "What happened that forced you into that?" 

Yvette just said, "I caught Hunter trying to leave. I had been ordered to prevent that, but he left. I couldn't bring myself to kill him. I was put in the restraints that day, and Emplate started to feast on me, everyday stripping away a little bit of my free will. Until Gateway appeared and rescued me, I was almost convinced my only purpose was to feed Emplate until he killed me, and that it was my punishment." She started sobbing and collapsed into Rich's arms. 

Monet heard Claudette finally say, [It will be worse when you return to him. I'll tell him to make it worse.] Her sister was really starting to get bother some. She tried to mentally surpress her sister's mind, but Claudette started to fight back. 

As she mentally struggled to surpress Claudette, she heard Darrett say, "You mean you willing wanted to be an Emplate. I should have know." 

Sean then said, "I don't think it's so farfetched, lad. I think you did as an Emplate suggested just to save yur own life, and millions others." She saw the dumb struck look on Darrett's face. 

"That was different. I didn't have an option. I was caught by the most powerful Emplates." 

Rich looked at him this time, and Monet heard him exclaim. "Tell me, Darrett. If you had a chance to preserve your life, would you jump at it, especially if you were scared to death, scared to death of dying." Monet saw Darrett clam up. The boy had been afraid of dying. He had seen his own mother die. This thought distracted her from Claudette's assault for control. As Claudette pulled her in to their mind. She literally was fighting to stay in control of her mind, and now was losing.

* * *

Yvette just sat there, with everyone. She had buried her head in Rich's chest as she cried. She knew Rich was holding her. He was worried about her, but she was more worried about everyone here. Hunter would see all who was with her as her victims, maybe slaves. He'd kill them all. She sobbed a bit more as she thought about what he might do to Rich. No, she couldn't let any of that happen, not to her friends and family. She knew what she had to do. She had to turn herself over to Emplate. She looked up and saw a stern look in her lover's eyes. Before she could say anything, he said, "I won't let you do that Yvette." 

She gasp. Before she could ask her question on how he knew, she heard Mondo say, "Won't let her do what?" 

He looked at her and said, "I won't let her turn herself over to Emplate. She was just thinking about it." She heard everyone gasp, except for Monet. She noticed the Monet had a blank stare on her face, another Autistic episode. 

She heard her adopted father say, "Yvette, he's joking, right. Ye wouldn't do that, would ye?" 

She sighed and said, "I don't want you all to get killed because of me." It was true. She didn't want them all to get killed because of her. "Hunter won't think your free of Emplate's power. He'll kill you first. I don't know how, but he will." 

Everett just looked at her and said, "Yvette, what's his ability? If we know that, we can stop him. You don't have to turn yourself over to Emplate." 

Yvette shook her head and said, "I don't know. All the time I had encountered him, I never found out what his abilities. All I knew is that he lived up to the name Hunter." It scared her to think about Hunter. In fact, until now, she never thought about the risk to her life. Rich arrived into her and she was happy since then. Now, it was going to end. 

She saw Jubilee looking at the clock and said, "Well, we have about 30 minutes now until Aura arrives. We gotta make sure she doesn't take Penny, and Rich, with her." 

Yvette looked in shock. Why were they doing this? She started to object when Rich said, "If Monet's out of her trance, she can tell Aura off. The rest of us can come up with a game plan to stop this 'Hunter'." 

Yvette looked at him and started to say, "But love, I don't want to see you hurt. I..." 

Rich put a finger up to her mouth and she stopped talking. He then said, "Not to long ago, I was in the same situation. I didn't flee then. Are you going to now?" 

She then realized what he meant. Back when Soundwave attacked, he was about to leave the school, but he didn't. Now he wanted her to stay, because they would protect her, like they did with him. She slowly came to terms that what she was going to do would have been the biggest mistake in her life. She smiled at him and said, "Alright, I'll stay." She held him close to her and prayed that she wasn't being foolish.

* * *

It had been almost 50 minutes after the message stopped. Soon Elane would be at the school. This unnerved Rich a lot. He honestly didn't think that she would obey Emplate about not hurting them. Rich was still holding Yvette as she had been holding him. This 'Hunter' character might be more than they can handle, but they still had to try. The one person most important to him was in terrible danger. Soon, he noticed Monet was blinking her eyes. She was finally coming out of her episode. It was times like these that they didn't need for this to happen. He finally said aloud, "She's coming out of it." 

He heard Jubilee say, "It's about time. She picks the worse times for these spells." He had to admit that they sometimes appeared when they least needed them to appear. 

He sat quietly with Yvette as Sean said, "Monet, we need ye to handle the talk with Aura. Be careful, cause she might have a few tricks up her sleeve." 

Rich nodded and said, "I don't trust her, but I don't want to give her the opportunity to hurt either Yvette or myself. She's got a few loose screws, and out of all of us, you might be able to handle her best." 

He noticed something in the way Monet responded. "Don't worry. If she tries anything, I won't let her succeed." It wasn't her usual tone. It sounded different, but with a familiar type of tone to it. He watched as she left the room. He then noticed something at how she acted in her walk. 

Before he could put his finger on it, he heard Sean say. "Alright Rich, Yvette, I want ye both to go down into the underground area, just in case anything may happen. Mondo, Daria, Everett and I will go with ye. I want ye to start thinking of possible plans of defense. Something that won't cost us a life." He nodded and started down the path to the underground portion of the school. The place where Emma had set up a mutant training facility many years before. 

He still had Yvette by his side, when she said in their mental link {My love. Were you scanning my mind earlier?} 

He knew what she was talking about, but his answer would surprise her. {No, my love, I wasn't.} 

He glanced to see the look of shock on her face as she said, {How did you know then?} 

He smiled and said {Billy Joel said it best. There are no words to say it. I could just tell. I wasn't watching your thoughts. I wasn't listening to them. I just knew. Love does that to you.} He tightened his hand around her's and smiled. {You don't have to scan a mind to know what they are thinking.} 

She smiled and squeezed his hand in return. {I just didn't want to see anyone get hurt, even if it meant me going back to Emplate. I wouldn't want you to join me in that fate. I can't let you join me in that.} 

He looked at her, puzzled by that. She knew he wouldn't let her do that alone, even if she ran away to do so, she knew he would not let her do that alone. {Yvette, you know that if you went, I would go to protect you, as best I could.} 

He watched as just said, {No. I can't let you do that. I can't say why right now, but I can't let you do that.} 

This shocked him. He looked at her and said, {Are you hiding something from me?} 

He didn't have time for a responce as Sean said, "Alright, here we are, now let's start planning." He descided that he could wait to find out her reasons. Normally, Yvette never kept a secret from him, but now she was. It didn't make sense, but there was no time to debate it now.

* * *

Elane Bonstein stood right inside the main hall of the school. She was getting impatient. She swore to obey her lovers orders not to hurt either Yvette or Rich, and she hated that idea. She hoped that they would show up, just so she could taunt them and maybe startle them. Besides, if she attacked them, and they attacked her, she could say it was self defense. Her thought was cut short when she heard someone say, "I have a message to give you." She turned to see Emplate's sister, Monet walking out of one of the doors. However, the attire looked nothing like how Emplate described as his sister's style. 

She looked at this definately different Monet and said, "Alright, where is Richard and Yvette?" She watched as the figure just moved closer and closer to her. The girl wasn't scared of her, nor was she threatening her. However, there was a different aura about the girl. 

Monet just responded, "They are staying, however, I'd like to make you an offer." 

Elane took a step back, mainly in shock. She shook her head and said, "What makes you think Emplate would accept an offer from you?" There was a blur of movement, and she was on her back. 

The figure looked down at her and said, "Tell my brother, that we will manage to set up Hunter in a place where he can finish him off. If you need proof of this, tell him that Claudette said so." 

Elane blinked and then said, "Claudette, as in his favorite sibling." The girl nodded and she started to understand. She ran out of the building, and hurried back to the lighthouse. She need to tell her lover this. It might be a good thing that she didn't attack.

* * *

Darrett sat patiently as he waited. He was with the others as they waited for Monet to return. He had watched as the two members of Generation X that he knew in his timeline would be his parents left to protect Yvette. Deep down, he hoped that something would happen and the two would start to date. He felt threatened that they didn't date. He felt that he wouldn't exist, but he remembered from the time he spent with the X-Men, that Bishop was displaced out of time. It was as if the time changes didn't affect him. Would that be the same for him? He was in the middle of this thought when Emma said to him, "Darrett, you don't talk much about your timeline. Is there anything you can tell us?" 

He looked at her, puzzled that she would ask such a question. He finally said, "I don't think you would want to hear it." It was true. He looked at each member, realizing that he could tell them, in some terms, how each died. It's not a topic one would want to hear. 

Emma looked straight at him and said, "Maybe, but I do wonder what happened in your timeline. All we know is that Richard and Yvette were Emplates in your timeline. One's that did what many mutant villians dream of in our timeline." 

He then heard Jubilee say, "Yea. I mean, how could any of the X-Groups allow that to happen, and how come we couldn't stop them." 

He didn't want to tell them. He felt like he couldn't, not knowing how everyone would react. He then heard Paige say, "I mean, if they went up against us, they couldn't have defeated us." 

He sighed. They weren't going to let him stay quiet. He then said, "I didn't want to say anything, but you've made me. They were crafty. They singled every member out. Divided the group, or let it be divided. The first one fell after they became Emplates. Enraged at the situation, they killed all of Emplate's followers, and they attacked the one they felt betrayed them." 

He heard Jono say _"Who was that?"_ It was a valid question. He just wasn't sure how to answer it. 

He was thankful when he saw Monet enter the room. She always seem dignified, but today you would never have been able to tell that. However, he did find her outfit appealing. She just said, "Well, Elane has left, and she didn't look to thrilled. I think she would have preferred hurting both Rich and Yvette." From what he had seen from the museum, that was an understatement. 

He watched as Emma stood as she said, "Alright, let's all head down to where the others are. Monet, I would like you to get into something more appropriate." He noticed as Monet seemed to frown. Maybe she was upset that she was getting blamed for what her sister made her wear. He followed the others as they headed in the direction of where the others went, but he noticed that Monet went off in the direction of the dorms. As he watched, he saw her turn and look at him. He was shocked as she winked at him. Did she like him? He continued down the hall, trying to sort it all out. What he knew about her here, and the very little he had been told by his mother.

* * *

Claudette reveled at the fact that she was in control of the joint body. After winking at Darrett, she listened in delight as she heard Monet scream [What are you doing? You made a deal a with Aura. What are you up to?] 

Claudette continued walking to the room and said, "You know, that Darrett boy is quite handsome. I don't think you'd mind if I spent some time with him." She let a small smile cross her face. 

Almost instantanoiusly, Monet shouted at her. [No, you don't Claudette. I won't let you do that. I know you only care about helping Marius.] Her sister didn't know her too well, even though they were twins. 

"Are you kidding? Marius is just part of the equation. With his studies of the black arts, having him as part of us would make us that supreme magical entity again. If father and his two friends hadn't split us up, we would have still been." She laughed at the thought of the meaning of her success. 

She then heard Monet say the one thing she knew might be a problem. [Marius would never let you try that again.] She was right about that. Claudette had never worked that part out, but now all she had to do was help Marius. Maybe somehow, she could trick him again. Maybe her little plan would work in that way. 

As they approached the room they occupied, she openned the door and said, "Alright now sis, what is it you like to wear. Something boring, right." She felt her sister try to regain control of the joint body, and she surpressed her. "Now, now, Monet. I'm not through yet. You'll just have to stay contained for just a while longer." She laughed aloud as she put together a typical Monet outfit. So far, no one was the wiser to her little trick.

* * *

Jubilee listened to all the idea's that everyone was pitching. They were trying to come up with the best idea on stopping this Hunter character. The thing that hurt most of their ideas was the fact that they didn't know word one about Hunter. Not even Darrett, a boy from a world almost ruled by Emplates, had no clue about it. Finally, she heard Paige say, "Why don't we have Ev and Rich try and use his abilities against him?" 

Jubilee looked at Ev and then at Rich and said, "I think that might work." She truely didn't like the idea of Ev going to fight with someone dangerous, but his ability would allow them to find out a little about Hunter. 

She then heard Rich say something that struck her. "Good plan, but how likely do you think I'm going to be to leave Yvette's side right now?" He was right. Deep down, Jubilee knew that he wouldn't leave Penny's side. Rich would stay to defend her, if it even meant his death. 

She then heard Everett said, "I think it's a good plan. We can find out his abilities, and maybe some of the rest of us can hold him back." 

Rich then said, "Only if you don't get close to him Ev. If I remember right, you, for a short time, were an Emplate. That puts you on Hunter's hit list." Jubilee felt her heart sink. Rich was right. That was right before Onslaught. Then Rich said, "And if I have I wild guess, Hunter might think Yvette might have seduced me. I don't know, but it would be a good guess." 

She heard Sean sigh and say, "The lad's right. He might try to kill all of us just for trying to protect Yvette, but I think that gives us all the more reason to stop him." 

Jubilee was about to say something when Monet came in and said, "Maybe we can stop his assult before he get's too close, but I think the only way to find out his power is to make him think he's got close." 

Jubilee almost started to fume at that. She had a feeling what Monet was suggesting. "Are you saying that we use Penny as bait? No way." She heard everyone agreeing with her. 

Jubilee was surprised when Monet just glared at her and said, "No, we project an image of her onto something. I doubt this Hunter has my brother's gift of knowledge on sight. Maybe we can fool him just long enough to get an upper hand." 

Jubilee looked at Monet in shock, partially from the glare she had received. Something was definately different with Monet. This wasn't the usual, I know what I have planned glare. This was a 'Don't mess with me' glare. She had seen Wolvie use it a few times. This wasn't the same Monet they dealt with daily. Something was very different. She then said, "Ok, that makes sense, but what do we do when we find out." 

Monet smiled and said, "We'll have to plan on our feet then, but we can't let this Hunter person get the upper hand. If he succeeds, we might lose two teammates, maybe more. He might just try to eliminate the whole school." 

Jubilee had to agree with that reasoning, but something really bothered her about Monet. It was the small things. Something one wouldn't normally notice, unless a fake was standing there. She started wondering if it was Monet or Claudette in control. Then, she remembered that Monet said that Claudette was a symbiotic mutant. She needed Monet to survive. It couldn't be that. She was musing on this when Emma said, "That sounds like the best idea we've had so far. We just have to set up a target to catch his attention. One I can mask in his mind." 

Sean then said, "Maybe we can use one of the practice droids. We might be able to even set it up to look like Yvette." Jubilee then noticed that for the first time since they entered the room, her surrogate 'sister' had a glimmer of hope in her eyes. 

* * *

He walked through the streets of the small town, careful not to let anyone see his hands. Although he wore gloves, he always felt that people could still see his curse. He cursed the day he had met with Emplate. He cursed even accepting the offer of power. Although many searched for the same power that Emplate seeked, he was only concerned with stopping the mutant factor. The natural mutant vampire that Emplate was, and what Emplate had turned him into. Now he was looking for the reluctant enforcer. Something told him Yvette was in this small town. He came to a small cafe and entered it. He noticed that most of the people were focusing on a TV in the corner. He heard a waitress say, "Just sit down, and someone will be with you in a moment." 

He didn't feel like sitting. He wanted to get his task done, so he could finally be at peace. He was focused on the thought when he heard a voice on the TV say, "For 15 nights, the eyes of America watched, as common everyday people tried to win the biggest prize in the history in television. Many tried, few failed, but more reached a higher goal." A picture of a man with red beard appeared as the TV said, "You've just won $125,000" The man was in exstacy. If it where him, he would not be happy. Then the image changed back to the New York Skyline, "And then, came a lone boy from Pennsylvania. As the country watched, the most antisipated moment in Television history approached." 

The image changed, and he saw the image of a boy in his early 20's on the screen. The boy just said, "B for my final answer." He noticed that the boy seemed to look ill. He wondered if he, too, was a victim of Emplates. 

He heard one of the boys in the place say, "Hey, Dorian, isn't that that Richard Cale dude from the school?" This sounded interesting. 

The other said, "Yea, I think he said that girl he's dating was in the audience that night, you remember, the redhead closer to our age. Can't believe the father allows it?" This caught his attention even more. 

The TV then said, "at the final question, the magical moment turned to tragedy as Richard Cale fell ill right on stage." He quickly glanced back at the TV and saw three people help get Richard out of the studio. He could tell just from a periferal glance who he was looking at. It was Yvette Gyorgi, the next name on his list. 

He turned and said to the two boys talking, "Excuse me, you know that boy that was on there?" 

The one looked at him, puzzled, and said, "Ran into him a few times at the comic shop. Helped me out when I couldn't pay for mine. He's a nice guy, if not a little weird. He reads some strange stuff." 

"And the girl, what's her name?" 

The other boy just responded, "I think she said it was Yvette Cassidy, but I'm not sure. She said her father was the head of the school." He now had an idea of what was happening. She must have realized that the boy on the show was a mutant, and was hiding what she was from this boy, or maybe she had seduced him. If it was the later, the boy had to die, but that was secondary. He had to kill her, so he could bring himself closer to peace. 

He looked again at the two boys and asked his last question of them. "Which direction is this school from here?" The one boy pointed in a direction. That was all he needed. He didn't even wait for directions. He just ran out the door of the cafe and headed in the direction the boy pointed out. With luck, he would catch her by surprice. His own mutant gifts would be all he needed to stop her long enough to kill her. 


	45. Liberation

Attention: Generation X and their villains, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copyrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Hunted 

Liberation 

Yvette sat in the room that was in the inner parts of the underground center of the school. She had many thoughts running through her mind about what was about to happen. She wondered how her friends would be able to stop Hunter. They did not know about his determination. They didn't know what lengths that he would go to to do what he had to do. She wondered how he would treat her adopted father. She didn't want to think of what horrible things he would do. She then thought of the one she loved, her boyfriend, Richard Cale. She knew so much about him, yet she knew that he didn't know that much about himself. She worried about what Hunter would do to him. Her mind was lingering on this though when she heard in her mind, {Yvette, you know that I put your safety above my own. I will not let that maniac hurt you, let alone kill you.} 

This filled her with some comfort, but she still felt scared. {Rich, I worry about you alot. You know that I care for you, and I don't want to see you hurt.} She saw him look in her eyes and she saw it right there. How deep his love was for her. She smiled and said, {I know. You mean the same to me.} 

He nodded and said, {Together.} He had extended his hand to her. 

She nodded and responded, {Together, forever and always.} It brought her great comfort to know that Rich would protect her. She had never thought that they would have to face such a menace. 

She then heard her father say, "Listen you, two. Right now I'd rather here that you two are talking aloud instead of the mental talk that ye are both using." 

She nodded and said, "Alright, father." 

She watched as Rich nodded as well and said, "Yes sir, Banshee." She knew that Rich took this very serious now. He was using codenames. She knew that when Rich took something very serious like this, he would start using codenames. She just sat and watched as he walked over to talk to her adopted father.

* * *

Sean watched as Rich stepped away from Yvette for a moment. He could tell that Rich was worried about something. When the boy was close enough, he said softly, "What's wrong, lad?" 

He noticed that Rich's demenior was different. He realized it when he use his codename. He listened as Rich quietly said, "I have an uneasy feeling about today." 

Sean didn't like the sound of that. It was bad enough having Yvette scared, but if she knew this, it would send her into a state similar to before Rich arrived at the school. Time and time again, Sean had thanked the heavens that Rich was sent to the school. He softly said to his student, "What is it, lad?" 

He listened as Rich said, "I think something is not right with M. She been acting odd for most of the day, since the message was dropped off. I mean, her actions and behavior is not typical for her." 

Sean noticed the worry in the lad's eyes. He cautiously said, "Are you sure about that, lad? I don't want any snap judgements being made." 

The lad shook his head but said, "Not totally, but just look at her actions today. She really hasn't been acting the same since the message." 

Sean eyed him suspiciously and said, "Rich, ye know that Monet holds that body with her sister, and she said her sister decided to plan her wardrobe. Do ye think that we are dealing with Claudette?" Sean watched as Rich nodded his head. Sean knew he had to comfort the lad, because if this got out of hand now, it might just make things go wrong. "Rich, ye can't jump to the wrong conclusions. Right now, we just have to hope that Monet is in control, and if not, that Claudette is on our side. I honestly think that neither Monet, or Claudette, would be helping Emplate." 

Sean could see the worry on the lad's face as he said, "I hope not, sir. I really hope not." This was an obvious concern for Rich. Sean knew the lad cared more for Yvette than he cared about his own life. 

Sean wanted to walk over and talk to his adopted daughter, but the alarms went off. He noticed Yvette tensed up at the sound, as well as Rich. He turned to see that the perimeter had been breached. Hunter was here. He hit the communicator and said, "Emma, are ye ready?" 

There was a crackle over the communicator as she said, "Darrett, Mondo and I are just finishing up. Tell the other kids to get to their stations. I can only pull this once." 

He broadcasted over all the communicators the message. "Alright kids, we got little time to take care of our visitor, so be on the ready. Emma will let us all know about his ability. Just be careful, and I'm making this double for you, Synch." He turned off the communicator, and turned to see Richard facing the door, claws at the ready. Sean then said, "That goes quadruple for you, Skitz. Remember, ye could also be on this hunter's list, especially if he doesn't understand your power." The boy silently nodded, but Sean figured that right then, Rich was assuring Yvette that he would keep her safe, no matter what.

* * *

Emma ran into the confines of a dark room after Darrett and Mondo left. What they had pieced together was almost human looking. She waited for Hunter to arrive. She hoped that it would be easy to mask the image of Penance onto the object constructed. She also hoped that Hunter would not enter through the room she was hiding in. She was taking the biggest risk right now, and she only got one shot to get it right. As she waited, she hoped that she could hear him move before she saw him move. Soon enough, there was a sound, and she sent the image out. Soon enough, she heard a male voice say, "It has been a long time, Yvette Gyorgi, and we are face to face again. I hope you have some fitting last words." She glanced in the room to see the man just facing the dummy. He hadn't realized it yet. Soon enough, she saw his powers go into full force, as restraints similar to what Penance had warn shot out all over, and converged on the dummy. He could create restraints, but more happened. They seemed to be positioning the dummy, and then it happen. One knocked the head off, and the illusion was blown. The mutant yelled in outrage and looked in her general direction. She reacted in fear and moved toward the secret panel in the room. Then she had known she was spotted as she heard him yell, "YOU." 

As she approached the panel she started to say psyonicly to everyone, [Be careful, he can create restraints or traps of somekind. He's also....] She felt a searing pain in her mind as she collapsed to the floor, face first. Soon she felt what seemed to be restraints start to entangle her, the only thing was, she couldn't see them. 

She went to struggle for freedom when she heard Hunter say, "You aren't her, but you're fortunate. You don't reek with the curse. I wouldn't try to struggle. As you can guess, my abilities are to restrain and subdue my advisaries. If you were one like me, I'd kill you in an instant, but I warn you not to move, or even use your psychic abilities. You are restrained in psionic bonds, which dampen your abilities, and also bind you in such a way that every move you make tightens them and crushes you. You see, the less you do, the longer you live. You'll be free if one of two things occur. By the way, you can speak, just don't yell." She noticed a smile on his face. 

Emma was scared. She didn't like the idea of being powerless, but the odds were in his favor, for now. She asked him the question he was waiting for. "What two things are those that can occur?" 

He looked at her and smiled. "Either I kill Yvette, or I get killed or knocked unconscious. I think you better hope I kill her quickly." He started to leave the room. She watched as he turned to look at her. He then said, "You have been lucky, not to have been cursed. She could have easily cursed you. I just hope that this Cale person is as fortunate as you." 

As he left, she mumbled under her breath, "With your attitude, I'd bet you are likely to fail." She sighed and started wondering how she could get out of this mess without getting killed in the process.

* * *

Rich heard Emma get cut off in his mind. The lessons both he and Yvette were getting in using their psychic link was helpful, but now he wished he didn't have that ability. He took a glance at his love, and saw her shaking in fear. He then turned to Sean and said, "I didn't like the sound of that." 

He watched as his teacher looked at him and said, "Let me check and see if I can find her or the blighter." Rich watched the screen come to life as images from all over the school ground danced over it. Soon, Sean stopped it on one image and Rich saw why. "Look's like our visitor is making his way to one of the entrances to where we are at. I hope the others stop him." 

Rich looked over at Yvette. She had tensed up a bit, and was curled in a ball. She was petrified. He walked over to her side and tensed up. It was almost the safest way to hold her. He put an arm around her and said, {It will be alright. We'll stop him.} 

She looked at him and said, {Are you sure? He's already caught Emma. She might be dead.} 

He didn't want to say that she was right, but Sean calmed her fears down abit when he said, "I just found Emma. She doesn't appear to be able to move. It's almost like she's been restrained." 

Rich looked over at Sean and said, "I-i-is t-t-that t-t-the c-c-case?" He was surprise at how his words came out. He was scared as well, and he noticed how tense he had become to comfort Yvette. He didn't untense once as he said his next statement with difficulty. "I-i-is i-i-it p-p-possible t-t-that H-h-hunter's a-a-abilities ar-r-re t-t-to re-e-estrain m-m-mutants, B-B-Banshee?" 

He saw the concern on Sean's face as he turned and said into the com unit, "Listen up everyone, we have an idea on what Hunter does. He seems to have the ability to disarm and capture a person. He can generate restraints to do this, so be careful." He watched as Sean came over to them and said, "Do ye think the both of ye will be alright? I think the others are going to need my help out there." 

He was about to say yes when Yvette held him tighter and said {Don't let him leave. I'm scared.} He had never seen nor heard Yvette so scared. He held her in response and tried to sooth her nerves. 

Eventually, he said to her. {He might do more good out there than in here. Besides, I will not let any harm come to you.} He noticed that she looked him right in the eyes. He watched as a smile crossed her face. He took that as a sign that she agreed, albeit a bit reluctantly. He turned to Sean and said, "I think that would be a good idea. I can protect her." He also noticed that her faith in him helped to calm him down. 

He watched as Sean headed for the door and then turned. "I'll send M down to help. Last thing I want to happen is to find both you and Penance dead. You understand me on that, Skitz." He nodded, and his teacher left the room. 

As Sean left, he felt Yvette put her arms around him. {I hope everything goes alright. I'm terribly frightened.} Her turned and held her. He understood her fears. Now he was going to have to find a way to help her. He understood the perdicament, being that he was in the same one month earlier. 

As he held her, he said, "I'm going to protect you, my love. No matter what." He had to do the hardest thing at this point, for him to do. He had thought this through as he made his choice. In the time she needed him there the most, he had to prepare for the attack the best way possible.

* * *

Everett stayed close to Jubilee as they headed down the corridor. Knowing what they knew now, he knew that they had to be extra cautious. He knew that Paige and Jono were with them. Sean had suggest that everyone work in groups. As they continued down the corridor, he heard Jubilee say, "I don't know if this is the worse we have faced yet." 

He heard Paige say, "Ah hear you on that. We have faced threats like Emplate, Omega Red, and some of the enimies Rich has made." 

He then heard Jono say, _"Like Soundwave and Aura. Those two had to be the worse."_

He couldn't help but to interject as he said, "What about Juggernaut? You don't think he's the thoughest, Chamber?" 

He noticed his friend think about it for a moment and say, _"Maybe, but considering what Soundwave did to some of us, we haven't dealt with anything that powerful."_

Everett then heard Jubilee say, "Speak for yourself." Everett looked at her and realized what she meant. She had fought many battles with the X-Men, and with Wolverine. He knew what she had dealt with, and saw the fear as she thought of all those enemies who came to take vengence on her. 

He was lost on that thought when Paige said, "I think I heard something in here." He watched as Paige entered the room. They slowly moved and searched the room, not knowing where Hunter was. As they worked their way around, Everett kept his aura out to find Hunter, but he couldn't. He then had a very grim thought. What if this was a trap to catch all of them, to get them out of the way of his main goal. He was about to say that they should get out when Paige yelled, "Oh my God, My hand's are stuck." 

He saw Jubilee run over to her and then said to him, "She's right, Synch. Husk's hands are stuck right on the desk. We're in a trap." He watched as looked and yelled, "Synch, the door." 

Everett turned just in time to see the door close. He caught the glimpse of a figure there. It had to be Hunter. He shouted, "Chamber, can you blast the door?" He turned to see Jono kneeling on the floor, weakened. Another part of the trap. Everett tried to get in synch with Jono, but he couldn't. He couldn't synch up with any of them. 

He watched as Jubilee jumped over the desk and shouted, "I'll get the door open." Everett realized what she was going to try. Then realized what might happen as he grabbed her hands. "Ev, what are you doing?" 

He just looked at her and said, "What do you think will happen? We got suckered into this trap. Look at Jono and Paige. I can't use my ability. What do you think will happen when you go to use yours." 

Soon a voice seemed to be resounding in the room. "Miss Lee, if you went to blast that door, you'd boil yourself alive." He saw the startled look on her face as she went pale in fright. The voice continued, "And Mr. Starsmore is in no threat, as long as he doesn't try to speak or anything else. Also, I wouldn't want you to try and free Miss Guthrie. You try and husk her free, you will only end up severing her arms. Plus, I negated your abilities, Mr. Thomas, so that you could not detect that this was a trap until it was too late. Now just stay quiet. You'll be free when I have done my task." 

Everett held Jubilee and said, "I hope he doesn't succeed." Jubilee looked at him, with a little defeat in her eyes. He knew how she was feeling, totally helpless. They had to hope that someone would help them, and soon.

* * *

Angelo watched the hall warrily. It was like he was back in the hood, knowing that around the corner could be someone from the rival gang. With him were Daria, Mondo, and Darrett. They were all concerned about the same thing, where Hunter was. As they continued down the hall, he heard Darrett say, "I wonder if Hunter was wiped out before the wars started." 

Angelo turned to face the boy from the future. It was known that Darrett lived in an era that was plaqued by a war between Emplate's, and in that future, Skitz and Penance were the worse. He calmly said, "What makes you say that?" 

Darrett just looked at him and said, "This is the first I've heard of him. Maybe he was wiped out by some of the Emplate's that, well, you know." Angelo knew that the kid was starting to get uneasy about talking about his timeline. Angelo knew why he didn't want to mention anything about. 

Angelo just said, "I understand. I don't like talking about my past either. But I think I can understand your fear abit. I saw Skitz lose his temper once. It wasn't pretty." 

Darrett looked at him and just said, "What happened?" The boy was intregued. 

Angelo really didn't want to tell Darrett what happened, but he did bring the topic up. He just said, "Banshee's evil cousin had shown up. Mondo, Chamber, Skitz, Penance and I as well as Banshee, were the only one's on campus. Skitz had come across Banshee's cousin by chance, and found a fake Mondo had taken the place of the real one." He heard Daria gasp. She hadn't heard the story. Angelo then said, "When we all faced off against Black Tom, he struck Penance, and Skitz went ballistic. He was afraid that Black Tom had seriously injured her." 

He heard Darrett make a disapproving sound as he said, "I knew that he had a vile streak in him." 

Angelo then said to the boy, "You know those walks he takes everyday." When the boy nodded, Angelo said, "He's walking to the site. He put part of Tom's face there, sort of a final resting place. He keeps doing it, hoping it will ease the guilt he feels. It wasn't like he could send someone back to stop him from doing the killing." 

He noticed as Darrett just looked off into the distance. "That's why I was sent back. In my time, I was cornered by Skitz and Penance, but they sent me back in time, to stop the horror." 

Angelo looked at Darrett and said, "Sounds like something Rich would do." 

He was about to say another word when he heard a scream behind him. He spun to see Daria stuck to the ceiling. As he looked up, she just shouted, "Someone, get me down. This is just like when Soundwave attacked." Angelo had an idea what was happening. It must be one of Hunter's traps. 

He watched as Mondo started to reach up to grab for Daria. "It will be alright. I'll get you down." He noticed that Mondo started to get a very perplexed look on his face, and Angelo had a grim feeling on what was happening. He watched as Mondo tried to move, only to see his gentle friend's feet were stuck fast to the floor. 

Angelo realized that they were going to be made immoble. He wasn't about to let that happen to him, and his friends. Then he wondered how he was suppose to help. He stood there helpless to decide. He didn't know what action was anticipated. He finally decided. He looked at Darrett and said, "Darrett, try and get Banshee here, quick. I'm goning to try and stop this Hunter guy." 

As he went to leave, he heard Darrett say, "Skin, you don't have far to go." He looked striaght ahead as the figure just stood at the end of the hall. He had a bad feeling in his gut about this, and just started to move when he felt it. He looked to his hands only to see them entirely stretching. He was literally tieing himself up. 

He started to shout, "Darrett..." and then he saw it. Darrett had already conjured someone up, who looked like Henry Stauf from the 7th guest, except that Henry had an uncontrolled look on his face, almost as if he didn't want to do what he was doing, which was pummeling Darrett. Soon the boy fell into unconsciousness as the figure disappeared. He looked back at Hunter and noticed the blank look on his face. Angelo just looked at him and said, "Why are you doing this?" 

The figure just plainly said, "To save you all. Yvette is a menace, a curse, and you don't even know it. I just hope I'm not too late to save this Richard Cale fellow." Angelo then heard the loud sound, which meant Banshee was coming, but what would this Hunter fellow do to Sean.

* * *

He turned and listened. He heard the howling sound as it approached. It had to be another of the misguided people here who though Yvette wasn't a danger. He must have been coming from the direction that Yvette was in. As he listened, he learned that this mutant relied on sound. He also knew that sound could not travel with no air. He looked and saw the hall that the mutant was coming from. He focused on it, and soon he felt the woosh of air vacating the hall. He watched as the figure came flying into that part of the hall, and fell, gasping for air. He just proceded down the hall, past the fallen figure. As he passed he just said, "I figure she must be hiding down here. The lack of air is only temporary, but it won't kill you." 

As he continued down the hall, he heard the figure say, with great effort, "Ye won't get away with this." 

He mearly continued and said, "I'm only trying to save all your souls. There is no cure for this curse, except death." He walked down the hall, noticing how the walls seemed to change a bit. This school must have added on to so the mutants had someplace to train. Had his life taken a different course, he would have enjoied it here, but now, he had a task to do. He slowly walked past each door, pausing to listen. All he needed was to hear one sound, and he knew it was her. Everyone was out of the way, however, he did not see the one called Richard Cale. Had the boy been unlucky enough to be enthralled. He didn't want to think that. He only intended to end one life. He finally heard a sound behind one of the doors. It had to be Yvette. He pushed the door open slowly, figuring she might attack. He noticed however that her back was to the door. Was she that confident that he would be stopped. He noticed that the room had to be some sort of war room. He figured he might use that to his advantage. He focused on her and soon, restraints shot from the table and pulled her toward the table. 

He watched as she struggled, and then looked at him. He almost revelled in the fact that his next most dangerous foe was about to be liberated. She looked at him in horror and just said, "Please, don't kill me. I'm not one of them anymore." 

He slowly moved forward as he said, "That's a lie, Yvette. I know there is no escape from his bonds. If it were possible, I would have done it by now. Hopefully, I'll have you gone before you seduce that boy, Richard Cale." 

He was startled when he heard a voice behind him. "You mistake seduction for true love. You probably don't even know love." He turned to face the same boy, and then he saw the hands. Just as he saw the hands, the boy said, "Just in case you're wondering, you gave me these." 

Hunter was dumbfounded, and then said, "You lie. She's cursed you. I will stop you then kill the both of you." He started to focus on the boy. He had to trap the boy, but the more he focused, the more frustrated he got. He couldn't create a trap. He then heard an odd sound for the moment. He glanced and noticed Yvette was giggling. He looked at the boy almost terrified. 

He saw Richard Cale smile as he said, "You see, Hunter, I am a full fledged mimic. When you approached that door, I had your abilites from the start. You've trapped almost everyone, and stepped right into a trap yourself." 

He tried to comprehend the situation. This couldn't be happening. "But I captured her. She's helpless." He watched as the boy just tapped his head. The trap wasn't his, but Richard Cale's illusion to make it look like he trapped Yvette. He realized that he was being duped. Now, he was mad. Hunter looked at Richard Cale and said, "I will not be stopped." He pulled a knife out and lunged at Richard, but the boy sidesteped quick. Now it was a battle so he could end this. "I'll end this, even if I have to kill you." He took another dive at Richard, and luck had sided with him as the boy backpedalled and tripped. He smiled as he was about to drive the knife home, and suddenly he was airborn. He looked up to see an African girl flying him out through the roof.

* * *

Monet watched as only an observer. Her sister still had control over their joint body as she carried Hunter out through the room. She listened as he said, "If I would have know, I would have put you out of commission, too." 

She heard her sister exclaim, "Yeah, Right. My brother has failed to capture them, I doubt that you could kill them. Now once your back in his flock, maybe he can capture them." She saw the look of anger cross his face. 

He shouted at her, "You're helping that monster. I should just kill you." She watched as the knife struck at her, but broke in two. 

She watched as her sister stopped in mid air. She felt the grin cross her face as Claudette said, "Just for that, you're being delivered Air Mail." She felt them pull back and throw Hunter straight in the direction of the lighthouse. As he flew out of sight, she heard her sister say, "Now for the other two to be delivered." 

Monet realized what was going to happen. Claudette was going to hand deliver Rich and Yvette to Emplate. She had to stop her. She gathered up all her mental strength and started to take control of the mind. [I can't let you do that, Claudette.] 

As she seized control, her sister yelled, "Are you nuts, we might get killed in the fall." Soon she felt the joint body plummet to the school. She hoped someone would catch them.

* * *

When Rich saw M fly Hunter through the roof, he had a feeling it was over. He got up and ran over to Yvette, making the bonds holding her disappear. He picked her up off the table and said, "Are you alright?" 

She hugged him tight and said, "Fine now. I'm glad your plan worked." 

He held her and said, "Almost didn't. You shouldn't of been giggling." He flet her tighten her grip and kiss him. 

As she stopped the kiss, she smiled her sly smile and said, "Well, I knew I was going to get let go, or else I wouldn't have been giggling." 

Soon Rich heard some of the others come in, all panic. He saw relief in their eyes when they saw Yvette alive. Sean was the first to speak. "Thank God. We all thought the worse. How did ye stop him?" 

Rich smiled and said, "Trapped him using his abilities, but Monet saved us both. Thanks for sending her in, Sean." 

Rich saw a puzzled look on Sean's face as he said, "Lad, I didnae see Monet before I got to the others. She must have been waiting here." Rich was concerned now. It didn't make sense. He was about to ask how she might have know, when Monet came crashing through the room, in a Autistic state. Sean quickly said, "Everyone, help me get Monet to the med center." 

As they all started to carry Monet to the med center, Rich heard Yvette say, "Thank you, again." She leaned over and whispered into his ear, "We should watch a movie tonight. Forget about what happened today." He liked the idea of that. It might even help him understand how Monet knew to be in the right place at exactly the right time. 

* * *

When Hunter came to, he noticed he was floating about the ground, as if suspended. Emplate's sister still had him. He was about to strike when he heard a horribly familiar voice say, "Hello Hunter, have you finally returned to us?" 

He looked up and straight at Emplate. He was now a prisoner again, but he would not let Emplate control him again. He spat at Emplate, and said, "I'll never serve you, even if I had too." He had to get Emplate's sister to let him go. 

Soon he heard a different voice. This one was female as she said, "Very unwise. I don't think my lover liked that answer." Soon, he felt as if his body was being crushed. He would not give in to Emplate, not again. 

As his body was being crushed, he heard Emplate say, "Hunter, I must admit that it was bold of you to try and kill Yvette, but she has become more strong willed since Richard Cale entered her life. If it weren't for him, she still would be linked to me." 

Hunter then realized it. She was free. It was obtainable. He felt light headed. He was going to die. He couldn't die, not now. He was still cursed. Then he realized something. He managed to run his fingers along his palms. They were gone. He was free of the curse. As he drew his last breath, he just said, "I'm finally free." Soon, his sight failed, followed by his hearing. He knew he was floating, but slowly that feeling of being held passed. His mind then showed him that tunnel he heard about. He knew what it was, even before he started towards it. 

* * *

Rich stood by as he was near Monet's bed. At the edge of the bed was Yvette. She knew he was wondering how Monet knew to be there at the time she was. As he stood there, he heard Yvette say, "Do you think something might be wrong?" 

He didn't look at her, but he said, "I don't know. She wasn't told to protect us, yet she was waiting. I wonder if it was Monet who saved us, but Claudette." 

She looked at him concerned. "You mean to say you don't think that's a good thing." She knew him too well. She knew exactly what he was wondering and thinking about. 

He just looked at her and said, "I'm not sure. It appeared that Monet went into one of her spells, but what happened to Hunter. He disappeared. Where did he go?" Soon, however, his mind was distracted. He had locked onto a memory. Even though Monet was in this state, he occasionally got a lock. It didn't last long, but he got an idea who was in charge of the two twins. Right now, he couldn't tell if it was Monet or Claudette. He did slowly see an image, in the subconscious. When he saw it, he staggered back, losing the link. 

He felt Yvette by his side, as she said, "What happened?" 

He fought to get the words together. "I just saw Monet's memories. I can't believe it." He start to walk out. He felt Yvette take his arm, and he could tell she was worried. He just said in the mental link that had just formed, {I'll stop by later, and we can watch a film. Right now, I need some time to think.} He knew she understood as she let go. He slowly walked out of the room. This thought floored him, and brought back some sort of dread to him, although he couldn't remember why. Maybe shock had caused him to forget it, or he forced himself to repress it, but he couldn't fathom it. He just saw himself holding Monet, when she was just a baby. He walked back to his room, wondering what it meant, and deeper still, wondering what it meant about how much he truely knew about all of the St. Croix's, including the one being he learned to fear most, Marius St. Croix, a.k.a. Emplate. 

Fin 


	46. Coming Of Age

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Tradition 

Coming Of Age 

He had snuck into the secure mansion of his latest targets. Orphan Maker wondered why Nanny had wanted these people taken care of, but he then thought why he was in her care. He was a mutant, and Nanny took care of mutant children. Now he had to make sure she could take care of this Richard Cale boy. The only thing that bothered him was that it didn't seem like Nanny who spoke to him. He put it aside as he moved through the mansion. Eventually, he came across a room with a woman sitting in it. She had a cat setting on her lap. Nanny had told him to act quick, and not give them time to react. As he readied his aim, he heard the cat hiss. It prompted the woman to look up, as she said, "Grimore, what's wrong?" He fired right then, and watched as the figure slumped over. One down, one to go. He watched as the cat ran off. 

He followed the cat, hoping that in some way, he'd find the father, and then the boy. As he continued after the cat, he heard movement behind him. He turn to see the father, with a sword in his hand. The odd thing about the sword was that it was on fire. Was the father a mutant? Nanny had said he wasn't. The man looked at him and said, "Why did you kill her?" 

He leveled his gun and fired. As the bullets hit there mark, he watched as the man collapsed and said, "You're not fit to raise a mutant. Nanny can take care of any mutant." 

He turned to find the boy as he heard the man's last words. "My son is all grown up. He is a mutant, from a town full of mutants. You think we didn't know what we were doing." He turned to see the man take his last breath. He then saw the flame on the sword die out, as the sword then disappeared. Orphan Maker had a bad feeling in his stomach. Had he killed a mutant parent? He was getting confused. He had to find the boy. 

He went to turn when he heard more people enter the building. As he started to run, he felt something hit him in the back. He fell to the floor, as he heard the person that knocked him over say, "You have the right to remain silent." It was the police, and it was obvious to him that this person was a mutant. When they finished speaking, the person stood him up and said to one of the other officers, "Damn, why did it have to be them?" 

He watched as one of the other officers just said, "I know. The town's going to be in mourning for about a week. Anyone know where Richard is?" 

One of the other officers just said, "Remember when he was on Millionaire?, and after that the FBI phoned about that Juggernaut character. Maybe they might have an idea what school he's at." Orphan Maker felt his eyes go wide. The boy had been away and on his own. 

Now what was going to happen to him. He just looked over at the head officer as the man said, "Book him, this was obviously intentional. Two counts of murder." Nanny was not going to like this.

* * *

Grimore sat quietly in the shadows. He watched as the police carted off the maniac that killed the Paladin. When the police had left, he walked over to the now lifeless form of Richard Cale Sr. As he looked at the form, he spoke one last time to the figure. "I wish you didn't have to die now, sir. I don't think your son is ready for his task." It was the truth. Of all the times that young Richard was exposed to his family history, he closed it off. Slowly it had been resurfacing, but the boy still tried to repress it. Now it was the boy's turn. He didn't want to do this, especially today. This day was especially important, since it was the boy's birthday. He walked over to a small box and climbed in. Being a familiar, he used magic to close it and then transport it. As he flew off to Snow Valley, where young Richard attended school, he hoped that somehow, and someway, Rich had met up with the little girl from Yugoslavia. He had never felt so content with a stranger. It was as if she were destined to be with the family. 

* * *

Richard Cale returned back to the school from his weekly trip into town. He was a little disappointed that Yvette didn't join him this time. Usually she did join him, but he put it up to the recent shake up with 'Hunter'. He had to admit that something of that escapade shook him up. He still couldn't piece it together in his mind. It was a memory with him holding Monet as a baby. It didn't make sense. How could he have have been there, and if he was there, why didn't he remember meeting Cartier St. Croix before the museum. When he got back to the school, he stopped thinking about it. He looked straight at the main building and deep down, he felt something was wrong. He knew that Franklin Richards was visiting since he had seen the Fantastic Four dropped the boy off. He had been just heading out at the time, but now there appeared to be no sign of life at the school. He was worried, not only due to the fact that there didn't appear to be a soul around, but that he was defenseless. During his trip into town, Yvette's ability had left him. As he approached the door, he quietly said to himself, "I won't be scared. If they are in trouble, I'm the only one who can help." 

He turned the doorknob and slowly entered the building. He looked around to find some sign that nothing was wrong. He listen for a sound that would let him know everything was alright. Not a sound. He was worried, not just for himself, but for Yvette. She meant more to him than his own life. He quietly said, "I hope you're alright, Yvette." He couldn't forgive himself for going to town along, only to arrive back to find every one captured or dead. 

He heard a sound in the one room. He slowly moved his way toward the door to the room. When he reached the door handle, he didn't know if he should kick the door open, or just to open the door slowly. As he thought about it, kicking the door open was sure to lead to an attack. He slowly openned the door, to find there was no light in the room. As he slid into the darkend room, he reached for a light switch, but one wasn't in reach. He stayed near the wall, hoping that he wouldn't run into a foe. He almost contined like that when his hand brushed against someone. He turned his head in that direction and was started when he was embraced and kissed. It was Yvette. When she stopped the kiss, she smiled and said, "Guess what?" 

He didn't have time to guess as the lights went up and everyone jumped up and shouted, "Surprise." He was surprised, and pleasently surprised. They had planned this out without him finding out. 

He looked at everyone and said, "Thank you. First time anyone pulled this on me. I don't think it could have gotten any better." 

He heard Jubilee speak up, "It will, when you get your gifts." Yvette just led him to the couch in the room and sat down next to him. Deep down, he felt that the day could not be ruined. He just sat there, with Yvette, receiving his presents.

* * *

Sean had been in his office when Emma walked in. He looked up at her as she said, "You know, the kids have already started the party." He looked at her. He had something on his mind, a big something. When he received the call, he didn't know if it was a hoax, but then he heard it on the radio. He knew Emma could sense his uneasiness when she said, "Sean, what's wrong?" 

He didn't know what to say, mainly because of the day. He then said, "There was a report on the news. Orphan Maker just killed another mutant's parents." 

He saw Emma's face change to that of shock. "Oh dear. Did they catch him?" Sean nodded and then Emma said, "You think the kid would benefit by coming here?" She didn't know the whole story. 

He didn't answer the question she asked but just said, "They owned a major, and I do mean major company, Paladin Technologies." 

He noticed as Emma nodded her head, and then said, "I've heard of them. My sister has been going through touchy negotiations with them." 

Sean looked at her oddly and asked "Cordella?" 

She looked back at him and said, "No, Adrienne, but that's not important. You think the child will be alright here. Besides, we have to attend the party." 

Sean couldn't hold it in much longer. "Emma, let me ask you this. Would you be happy if you were told that your parents were murdered on your birthday." He noticed Emma's mouth went wide open. He then said, "The first call was from was from Godiva. When she told me, I thought for a moment that it wasn't her, but I just heard it on the news." 

Emma just sat down, a bit in shock. "You don't want to tell him during the party?" 

She had hit the nail on the head. "Yur right on that one. I don't want to tell him until tomorrow. I just hope it can be avoided." He wondered if there would be anyway that the boy would find out. Sean knew that Rich always hoped that his parents would be around for a while yet, but this was the one thing that they hadn't planned on. His only question now was why Orphan Maker targeted Rich's parents.

* * *

Franklin Richards ran with his two friends from the room the kids now shared. He was a bit excited, mainly because of his visit to the school at the time of a birthday party. He turned to Leech as they headed down and said, "Did you get him anything?" 

His friends stopped dead in their tracks with a worried look on their faces. Leech then said, "Artie and Leech didn't think of that." Artie however turned his head. It was as if the boy heard something. 

Franklin looked at his friend and said, "Do you hear something Artie?" He watched as the image of the door appeared over Artie's head. Apparently he heard something at the door. Franklin ran over to the door and openned it just a bit. He saw a box just laying there. He wondered what it could be. He quickly brought the box inside and openned it. It wasn't marked who it was for, but he heard a sound in it. When it was open, he saw a cat inside of it. Franklin looked at the others and said, "I think we found a gift for Rich." He heard the cat purr. 

He watched as Leech looked at the cat. "Rich has cat. Maybe like this one as well." He watched as Artie nodded. With that, they headed off to the party. As they entered the room, he saw all the laughter and fun of a typical birthday party, except for two people. Franklin noticed that both Sean and Emma had most likely just arrived, but something was bothering them. 

He noticed as Rich looked over at them. "Hey boys. You're a little late, but I think they haven't cut the cake yet." Franklin noticed the image that appeared above Artie's head, and Rich respond, "A gift. You guys have a gift for me. Well, let's see it." 

Franklin opened the box up and the cat stuck his head out. He saw that everyone was stunned, but Rich was in awe. "He was outside the door. We bought him in and thought you might like him." 

Franklin just watched as Rich took the cat out of the box and held it. There were tears in Rich's eyes, but they were of joy. Rich just held the cat and said, "Grimore, how did you get here?" Franklin wondered what Rich meant and he then said, "Franklin, this is my cat. My folks must be here. Grimore would never be here alone." Franklin smiled, but wondered if that was the case. No one was at the door, but things seemed to be fine. Then he noticed the look on Rich's face. Something wasn't right. He looked over at Sean and Emma, who looked like they had just seen a dream shatter. He then noticed one other thing. The cat was purring when Rich held it, but now was earily calm. Something was definately wrong.

* * *

Yvette looked on at the scene. It was as if everyone just clammed up. Everyone had been mystified by the cat. She had seen it before, during Rich's bout with his ailment a short while ago. Now, she was seeing the cat for real. It was beautiful, but it wasn't purring like it had been. She could even tell that Rich sensed something was wrong. As she went to his side, she tried to find out what was wrong as she asked in their mental link, {What's wrong, my love?} 

She didn't expect his answer to be verbal as he said, "They aren't here. They won't be here." She was scared by the tone he was speaking in. He sounded like that they were dead. 

She then heard her 'father' say, "Rich, I didn't think we should tell ye this today, but yur parents were killed." She looked at her boyfriend, and saw the tears start to form again. These were tears of sadness. She put her arms around him and just held him. She heard the cat purr again, as if her presence made things better. 

She heard Jubilee say, "That's not a good gift, Sean." Her 'sister's' sarcasm was there, but who could blame her. 

She was still holding Rich when he asked, "How?" She could tell that he wanted to know, but he didn't want to believe it. 

She listened as Emma answered the question. "Orphan Maker attacked your parents, killing them both. However, the local police managed to capture him. I'm sorry, Rich. You will be able to head home to attend the funeral." 

She felt Rich start to stand up and she stood up with him. He was still holding Grimore as he said, "I have to go to England. It's been a tradition. When the eldist dies, the eldist child heads to the home in England." 

She listened as her 'father' said, "Lad, ye can't go alone. What if Emplate found out? Ye would be a sitting duck." 

She noticed that the cat was looking at her. There was something about the cat. She then remembered what she had learned during Rich's ordeal with the delerium. She held Rich's arm and said, "I'm going with him." She noticed he didn't object, not even mentally. 

Everyone seemed in shock, but then Monet said to her. "Yvette, you can't go, at least not without some of us. We'll all go." 

She watched as Rich turned and looked at her and said, "Go pack. This ordeal normally take about a week." She started to leave the room as Rich just said, "No. Only Yvette and I can go. It's difficult to explain but it has to be this way." She watched as he left the room, still holding Grimore. She watched as some of the others followed Rich, while some of the other were following her. This was not going to be easy for anybody.

* * *

Emma followed with some of the others as they followed Rich. When he reached his room, Emma noticed that the boy hadn't cried one tear, as if he were holding it in. Emma just said, "Rich, we are all concerned about you? Are you sure you're going to be alright." 

She noticed that Rich just glanced at her and said, "I'm not sure. I don't know how my father went through this, and now I have to go through it." She watched as he pulled a suitcase out. 

When he stopped talking, she saw Everett enter the room and say, "Aren't you worried about Emplate? If he finds out that you two are alone, he's gonna try something?" 

Rich looked at Everett, she could almost tell he was aware of that fact. He just said, "How will he know where I am? It's not like I've told you guys. This is something I have to do." He then proceed to pack his suitcase. 

She went to say something when Jubilee spoke. "You and Yvette, alone. I don't think that Sean and Emma are gonna approve." She knew what Jubilee was talking about. 

Rich just kept packing as he said, "If they don't trust me by now, then I might just stay in England. How long have Yvette and I been dating?" 

Emma thought about it for a moment. The two had had dozens of opportunities to be that intimate, but never were. Rich was a gentleman and true to his word. She finally spoke. "Rich, that was a worry at one time, but you are talking about a week. You remember what that means?" 

Rich stopped and said, "Yes, but I need to do this. I've known for a while, and if I get stuck with Yvette's ability, then Emplate can't force his on me." She had to admit to Rich's logic on that one. 

Emma then said, "I would like to have a word with you, alone." She noticed as all the others who had followed Rich got the hint and left the room. She then said, "Do you think you can handle all this?" She had taken a peak at Rich's mind, and knew what he was most worked up about. 

Rich just continued to pack as he said, "I don't know. I don't know how much you know about my past, but Yvette told me that you and her were trying to help me during my Cale Delerium." 

She didn't want to tell all, but she felt she had to ask about some of it. "Richard, you have some oddites in your life that we don't want to admit to, like the fellow that visited your parents after your grandfather died." She didn't mention that Monet had seen that. 

Rich just looked at her, and she then noticed that the cat hissed. "I think he said his name was Marsh. I would not be surprised if he gives a call to me after I return." She watched as he placed his journal into his suitcase and finally closed it. 

She then asked another question, "And what about this Edward Carnby fellow? I did some reading up on the games Yvette said you mentioned in your journal." 

He picked up the suitcase and his cat and said, "I don't know what to say. I never thought Edward Carnby was real, and never understood my attraction to the games. I might learn about that in England." 

She walked with him as he left his room. "Richard, I do hope that you and Yvette will be alright." She was worried. She had seen potential in the boy. He could turn out to be a great leader. 

He sighed and said, "As long as Emplate doesn't know that we've been gone until we get back, we'll be fine." She watch as he continued on to the main hall. He would wait for Yvette there. She had a feeling that he was about to be flooded by memories that he had long repressed. 


	47. Homecoming

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Tradition 

Homecoming 

Monet watched as Yvette scramble to get stuff together for in her suitcase. The suitcase was borrowed from her, but she understood that this meant alot to Yvette. As she watched, Yvette said, "Thank you for use of the suitcase, Monet. I won't lose it." 

Monet just looked at the hurried form and said, "I know. I've never seen Rich like this. He seems adament about going." It was the truth. This had been the most adament Rich had been about anything. 

As she watched, she had seen Sean enter the room. She only listened as Sean said, "Yvette, I'm a bit worried about ye." Monet could understand why Sean was concerned. Yvette was Sean's second chance at a daughter. 

Monet watched as Yvette stopped and looked at Sean. "You don't have to worry, 'Father.' Both Rich and I know better." She knew what Yvette was refering to. Since Sean was now Yvette's father, Sean had the typical worries of a father. 

She then heard a familiar voice speak in her mind. [They have no sense of fun.] She pushed her sister down, knowing that her sister would tell Emplate what Rich and Yvette were about to do. 

She noticed that Sean then said, "I know it's gonna be a long way off, but there are other things I'm worried about. One is the fact it is just going to be ye and Rich. The second is, we don't know where ye two are off to. Rich didnae tell us where he was headed. Third, how is this going to affect his abilities." Monet realized what he meant by the last one. 

She quickly said to Yvette, "Sean's refering to Rich's ability locking on to your's forever. Do you think that Rich is going to be able to use other abilities after this?" She noticed that Yvette seemed to be thinking about it. 

Soon, Yvette broke the silence as she continued to pack. "He's told me a few times he'd rather be stuck with my ability. It means safety in his eyes." 

Monet could see the logic in that thinking. Rich wouldn't have to fear about having Marius' abilites. Her sister again spoke up. [It could mean other things.] Soon her sister flooded her mind with one of the dreams her sister had been having lately. She tried to shake the image out of her head. 

Monet needed to lay down. She looked at Sean and Yvette and said, "Yvette, I hope you have a safe trip. I need to lay down for a bit." With that she headed to her dorm room. She hoped that her sister would end this dream quick. As she walked back to her room, she just mentally said, [Claudette, you have a sick imagination.] She heard her sister laugh as she focused on flooding their mind with the dream.

* * *

Rich stood in the main hall, waiting for Yvette. During this whole time, Grimore, his cat, had been by his side. He finally sat down and picked the cat up. As he petted the cat he just said, "I wish you could tell me more about this, Grimore, but you're just a cat." He did have some thoughts on that, but if anyone heard him, they might think he's crazy. He felt the cat purr again. Over the time he had been at the school, he had missed the cat. 

He then noticed that Grimore had stopped purring. The cat wasn't uneasy, but the cat wasn't content either. He then heard one voice speak. "This is another thing I wasn't aware of." 

Rich turned to face Darrett. The boy came from a dark future, but the boy could enlighten them on somethings. Rich just faced Darrett and said, "I take it that your time lacked Grimore." Rich knew all to well that Darrett's time line featured a dark side of himself. 

Darrett nodded and said, "Maybe, or the cat was hidden from many. You know, after this happened, I think I trust you more, believe what everyone says." 

Rich looked at Darrett and was puzzled. He just asked, "What do you mean by that?" 

Darrett just said, "In my timeline, you weren't upset about you parents death, but here, I can tell it's upsetting you. I see the similar way I felt when I lost my mother." Rich now knew what Darrett meant. Darrett's parents were killed by him in Darrett's timeline. Darrett knew the pain of losing a parent due to murder. 

Rich looked at the boy and said, "I'm glad that you are finally starting to see both Yvette and myself as allies." 

Darrett then said, "It's hard, but I know I can see it." Darrett stopped glanced off in another direction. He then said, "Have a safe trip." Rich turned and saw Yvette coming into the room, with a suitcase in hand. Sean was following her, and Rich figured he knew why. 

He noticed that Darrett left the room, and that Grimore had run over to her. As the cat jumped up, he smiled as she caught Grimore with her free arm. He walked over and kissed her. "Grimore really likes you. I think he approves of you." 

She smiled, as if she had already known that before he said that, and said, "I figured as much. I'm ready to go. You are going to need some support this week." 

He nodded and said, "You're right. I'm glad that you are coming with me to England." He then turned to Sean and said, "You don't have to worry, Sean. We will be alright." 

He watched as his teacher nodded and then said, "I know ye two will behave. Ye always have. I'm just worried about you in some aspects. We figure ye might come back a little different." 

Rich was well aware what Sean meant. That when he returned, he'd only be like Yvette. He looked at Sean and said, "I'm aware of what will most likely happen Sean, and it doesn't worry me. The thought has crossed my mind many times. When I started dating Yvette," he looked at her and smiled, "I was aware that one day I had to make this choice. I always swore I'd rather take her ability and be happy with her for as long as we live." The way he said it, it was like a marriage vow. He was willing to sacrifice a gift he had been bestowed for happiness, and for love. 

Sean looked at them both and said, "Alright Rich, but also remember that you might make it more difficult if anything happens." Rich understood what Sean meant, but he couldn't picture life without Yvette, and he saw that in Yvette's eyes, she couldn't picture life without him. 

Rich then looked at his watch and said, "We better get going. It will be a long flight, and then a bit of a drive to the place in England." He noticed that Yvette nodded and picked up her suitcase and headed for the door. She was still carring Grimore. Rich turned to Sean and said, "I wish I could tell you where we were going, but for right now, I can't. It's part of the tradition." 

He felt Sean put a hand on his shoulder and said, "It's alright lad. Besides, if Emplate found out from anyone here where ye were going, ye'd be in deep trouble. Rich nodded and then made for the car. 

When he got into the car, he started it and headed out of the school grounds. As he made his way to the airport, he reached for a cellular phone his parents had got for him. He never used it, but now it was about to come in handy. As he started to dial, he heard Yvette say, "Who are you calling?" 

He looked at her and smiled. "First the airport for an emergency flight out, then the current person in charge of the caretaking of my ancestrial home." The first call would be local, and he had the funds to pay for the tickets. The second was long, long distance, to England itself. He just hoped that the person he had to call was awake. 

* * *

Yvette glanced out the window as the plane made its oversea, and overnight, flight. Although they had travelled on Emma's jet, she had nevered flew on a flight and sitting in first class. It was nice in the special section of the plane. She turned away from the window to look at her love. She took his hand and said, "Grimore's alright. I know your worried about him." 

He shook his head. "It's not just that. It's that image I saw." She knew what he meant. He had told her what image he saw in Monet's memories. She knew it was real. She just didn't want to tell him. She had a feeling he would know better after this week. 

She squeezed his hand slightly and said, "I'm gonna be with you all through this. You've pulled me out of the roughest times in my life, I'm gonna help you with your roughest times." 

She felt him squeeze her hand in responce as he said, "Thank you, my love. You don't know how much that means to me." She had a good idea how much it meant. 

She looked back out the window for a moment then turned back to Rich. She didn't want to speak aloud right now, so she said in their mental link, {Where are we going?} 

She felt Rich grip her hand tighter as he said, {To my family's ancestral home. It's a castle in England. During most of the time, people are allowed to tour it, but when the family returns to it, it's closed to the public. Have you ever been in a castle before?} 

She looked him in the eyes and said, {Yes. It was way before you came to the school, and 'Father' took us to his home. It turned into quite an adventure.} 

She saw the surprise in his eyes, and then he smiled. {Well, this time you'll get to see a bit of a romantic side to it.} He smiled and then kissed her. She didn't let the kiss stop. Her life had felt so complete with Rich. She sometimes wished that they could announce that they were going to get married so that they could be together for always. As she thought that, she heard him say, {I wish for that time, too.} She smiled inwardly. 

She looked at him and said, {Maybe we should rest. You did say it would be a bit of a long flight.} He nodded and soon they were both off in dreamland. 

* * *

Rich was in the middle of the weirdest dream in his life. The image he saw was of three people standing infront of him. He couldn't tell two of the people, but the one in the center was his father. He watched as his father turned and walked to the back. He then saw all the people that was behind the three. He recognized the figure now behind his father. It was his grandfather. He then looked down to see Grimore standing where his father stood. He looked at the cat, and was somewhat started when it appeared that his cat said, "It's time. Take your place." 

As he started to move forward, he heard a voice behind him that he recognized. "Did Grimore just speak?" It was Yvette. She must have joined him in the dreamworld. 

As he stepped forward, she stepped to his side, as if drawn, as he said, "It appears that way, my love." When they joined the other two figures, they turned around. Rich then saw many more people in front of all three of the figures. There were countless figures all standing in front of him. Rich wondered if these would be his descendants. Soon there was firey flash, and everyone was gone. In front of him, and Yvette, was a sword that was blazing. He felt that this weapon belonged to him as he grabbed it. Soon he felt an urge to kneel. He took Yvette's hand and said, "Kneel." He watched as she kneeled with him in the way one would kneel if being knighted. 

When he openned his eyes, Rich felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the stewardess as she said, "Sir, we will be landing in Hethrow in a few minutes." He watched as the woman continued onward. 

He turned to face Yvette as she said, "That was weird. What does it mean?" He knew what she was referring to. She was referring to the weird dream. 

He took her hand and said, "I wish I understood it, but I'm not sure, but I think it had something to do with us together and our future." He felt sure about that much. 

She looked at him quizzically and said, "How do you figure?" 

He took her hand and looked into her eyes. "Because, all those people infront of us seemed to be our descendants." He saw the surprised look in her eyes, and then joy in her eyes. He was happy with what the dream meant as well. In the future, they would be married, and they would have a family. 

Yvette then looked at him and said, "What about that sword, and the kneeling?" He shrugged because he didn't understand that part. She then said something that might have been true to what it meant. "Do you think it has anything to do with this trip?" He started wondering about that as the plane started to make it's descent. 

* * *

Yvette stood by waiting for the luggage to arrive. She had seen Rich go to get Grimore. She was worried about Rich, especially after that dream. She didn't understand it. Who were all those people behind them, and in front of them, and who were the people to their sides. As she was lost in this thought, she almost missed the suitcase she borrowed from Monet. She grabbed it quick and watched for Rich's suitcase. As it finally shown up, she reached for it, but was cut off when another hand grabbed. She followed the hand to a familiar face. "Did we find our luggage?" It was Rich. 

She smiled and said, "Yes, but what are we going to do to get to the castle?" This had been worrying her, since Rich didn't rent a vehicle at all. She watched Rich motion his head in a direction. She glanced over in the direction and saw a man holding up a sign. It had Rich's last name on it. 

They began walking in the man's direction as Rich said, "That's how. We have a ride." When they neared the man, Rich looked at the man and said, "If I'm right, you must be Emmet." 

The man just nodded and said, "Yes, and I hate to sound like I'm enjoying this, but I do appreciate this happening." She was surprised at what the man said. Just as she was about to ask why he said that, he said, "I happen to live next door to rather unpleasent neighbor." 

She looked at him quizzically, but Rich just said, "Why does this sound like a British Comedy show?" She was more puzzled by this question. 

The man just said, "Cause the show was based off our lives, in a way." She noticed that Rich seemed to have a vague understanding of what he meant. The man smiled and said, "Now, if you both are ready, my sister and I will take you to your castle." As the man lead them out of the airport, she could sense that her boyfriend's mind was going a mile a minute. 

She noticed that the man was leading them to a blue car. As they approached, Yvette noticed a woman was sitting in the driver's seat. As they approached, she heard Rich say, "Let me guess. That's your sister Elizabeth." When the man nodded, Rich then said, "And you must live nextdoor to Hyacinth. She noticed how tensed up the two got. Apparently the woman Rich mentioned struck a cord of fear in the two. Rich noticed it as well and said, "Sorry, just my curious nature." 

The man just smiled at them and said, "It's alright. It's not like we'll run into her." 

The woman, who Rich had pegged as Elizabeth, then said, "Although, you'd like Richard. He is a dear." Yvette heard this and was amazed that the woman they feared was married. "Makes you wonder how he deals with it." 

Yvette found herself asking the question. "How did she ever get married?" She didn't mean to ask it out loud, but it just came out. 

Rich, who had closed his eyes, said, "I think we better not think about that. It might keep all of us awake for a fortnight." She heard everybody chuckle at that remark She then listened as Rich asked, "How long until we reach the castle?" 

She watched as the woman looked at her speedometer and said, "About an hour. If your tired, we'll wake the two of you when we are about ten minutes away." 

Yvette noticed that Rich was already asleep as she said, "It'll be ok. It was a long flight. Besides it still early morning in the states." She closed her eyes and soon she was with her love, in their dreams. 

* * *

Monet had woken up at the odd hour of 3AM. She couldn't believe she was awake, but she understood when she heard his sister speak up. [You know, it bothers me to be alone at a time like this. I should have told our dear brother where the two lovebirds flew off to.] 

Monet almost rolled her eyes, then said, "Claudette, you know that would have failed even if I hadn't stopped you. Rich didn't tell any of us where he was off to. In fact, Sean said that we wouldn't hear from them until after they would return." She smiled triumphantly at the fact that Claudette's scheme would fail. 

She heard Claudette grumble at that fact. [I hate it when you're right. However, I do have this to admit, Darrett is something else. I wonder if he could help with this feeling of loneliness.] She knew what Claudette was thinking. 

Instantly, Monet started to repress her sister. "No, Claudette. I know what your thinking, and I definately won't let you do anything like that." Monet and Claudette were opposites in almost every sense of the word. While Monet was calm and dignified, her sister usually showed signs of a wild, uncontroled person. 

Soon, Claudette said, [Oh please, I know how you thought about Everett. I bet if he wasn't dating Jubilee, you'd be following him.] Monet almost started to think about that, but stopped herself. If she did, Claudette might gain control. 

Monet strengthed herself against the mind games her sister was pulling and said, "I won't look at a friend like that Claudette, now go to sleep." She felt Claudette finally give in. She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't want to ask Emma for help, but it was starting to get harder and harder to control Claudette. She feared that one day, she wouldn't be able to stop Claudette anymore, and if Claudette managed to manipulate Marius again, it might mean the worse could happen. 


	48. Inherited Power

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Tradition 

Inherited Power 

Rich had spent the last 50 minutes sleeping, although there was no rest gained. He couldn't shake the disturbing dreams he had. This one was one of the oddest, for he saw a weird amagimation in front of him, and three figures fighting it. One he did recognize. It was his father, and again, he saw the flaming sword. He had seen that sword somewhere before, and then it hit him as he thought of the company his parents had owned. It was the sword of a Paladin. In his dream, he said, "I thought that was a made up being." 

He heard a voice aside of him say, "What was?" He turned to see Yvette standing next to him. In this dream world, she looked more beautiful than ever, and it brought him some comfort to his mind. 

He turned to her and said, "The Paladin. According to lore, the Paladin is a knight of honor, and wields a sword which burns with fire in the presence of evil. I thought it was fictitious, but here I see the sword of a paladin, in my father's hand." He couldn't make sense of it. 

Yvette just held him and said, "Maybe it means something. Maybe it's a title you are meant to hold." He doubted it, but he didn't want to say that, and then he saw it in her eyes. She was serious about it. 

He held her close and said, "How do you know this is true?" It was the only thing he could think of saying. The strong feelings she had shown in her responce had gotten to him. 

She just kissed him and said, "I know. Isn't that enough?" He nodded, for she was right. She knew, and had believed it, not because of what it was, but it was what she believed. 

He started to kiss her when he heard a voice say, "Richard, were almost there." He blinked and awoke in the car he had fallen asleep in. Soon Yvette openned her eyes as well. Emmet, who had woken him just pointed to the distance and said, "There it is, your ancestrial home." 

Rich had only seen it once or twice before, long ago. Now it was his turn to own the castle. He heard Yvette go, "How old is it?" He would have asked the same, since he couldn't remember the age of the castle, but it had to be near 1000 years old. 

He heard Elizabeth say, "It's almost as old as the tower of London, however, the Cale family is older than the castle." Rich almost shook his head in amazement. He never figured that his family went that far back. It almost boggled his mind. 

Rich then realized what he stated before they headed to England. "Emmet, would they be any tours going on today?" He watched as Emmet nodded. Rich then said, "I'll have to have everyone leave." 

As they neared the parking lot, Rich saw a look of horror cross Emmet's face as he said, "Liz. Look." He felt the breaks slam and he quickly snapped his hand to stop Yvette. The sudden shock might have caused her to tense up. He heard Grimore meow in fright as the sudden jolt awoke the sleeping feline. 

Rich looked forward and said, "She's here, isn't she?" They nodded and Rich felt a devilish grin cross his face. "Would she claim to be a friend of the family?" 

He watched as a devilish look crossed Emmet's face as he said, "Yes she would. I think I know what your thinking. I'd like to see that." 

He felt Yvette move his arm and say, "See what? What are you planning?" 

They started to get out of the car and get their stuff. While they were doing that, Rich said, "Wait and see, my love, wait and see." With that, they all headed to the castle. As they approached, a man went to stop them. Rich just pulled out his wallet and showed his driver's license. The man quickly stepped aside, almost like he had already known what to do. Rich turned back to Emmet and said, "How did they know?" 

Emmet just smiled and said, "I phoned when you phoned me. I thought it might save some time." Rich had to thank Emmet on that one. He was right. The men just backed away and called for security. 

When they reached the door, the man who had approach Rich just said, "When you give the word, sir, they will escort the people out." Rich started to have a bad feeling. Power tended to corrupt people, and Rich was slowly getting such power. 

As they entered the castle, Rich's ears were assulted by a high annoyingly feminine voice say, "I can't say when it was when we last saw his Lordship." Rich groaned at that thought. That his family had the royal title of Lord. He shook his head. 

He heard Emmet say, "That's her." There was a look of shock as well as a look of antisipation on the man's face. 

Rich softly said, "Alright. Let's see if we can startle her, big time." 

He started to walk in her direction, and he heard Yvette say, {What are you up to?} He knew what she meant. 

He responded, {I'm going to make this lady sorry she said those words.} He heard her giggle a bit. When he got close enough, he said, "Excuse me, ma'am, but did you say you know the owners of this fine castle?" 

He noticed that the woman was pleased with his responce, but the husband had a look of fear on his face. She just said, "We have been friends for a long time." 

Rich smiled and said, "I bet you saw his Lord and Ladyship on," he had to think of a date. A date he knew was phoney. He quickly thought of the perfect date. He quickly said in the mind link, {Yvette, what day was it that Emplate attack the first time, when my father came to the school?} 

She thought for a moment and then said, {Dec 10} 

Before she could finish he just said, "it was a December 10th, although the year escapes me right now. I do know that he was at a function in the area." 

The woman appeared to have taken a bite at the line. "Oh yes, we indeed met there. His lord ship told me all about his daughter." The woman just shot her own foot. 

Rich just smiled and said, "Funny, I thought his Lordship had a son." 

The woman shook her head and said, "No, it's a daughter." 

Rich listened as her husband said, "Hyacinth, you don't know if Lord Cale's child is a son or a daughter." 

The woman whispered back, "Quiet Richard, he doesn't know that. Besides, Lord Cale is away at the moment, and if he arrives back, I shall recognize him." Rich had to surpress a laugh, even though it was harder to surpress the tear. 

Rich then looked at the man and said, "Richard, that happens to be my name as well. Maybe I should introduce myself properly. I am Richard Cale Jr., Son of Lord Cale." He noticed that the woman's eyes went wide. He then said, "And that particular day, my father was in Massachucetts helping me get settled into school. As for meeting Lord Cale, ma'am, that will have to wait until you pass on. He was murdered about 36 hours ago, and by family tradition, I must dwell in the castle for about a week." Then in a loud voice, he said, "Everyone, you are instructed to leave the castle. Security will show you to your cars, and refund your money for the tour. The castle will be open for touring in about a weeks time. Take care all." He return to Yvette, Emmet and Elizabeth, and smiled as Emmet and Elizabeth were laughing. 

He heard Elizabeth say, "Did you see the look on Hyacinth's face?" 

Emmet just responded, "I wish I had the camera." 

Yvette walked over to his side and said, "Does this mean the castle is ours for the week?" She kissed him on the cheek as he nodded. Soon, they would be residing in the castle for the duration of a week.

* * *

Once everyone had left, Yvette followed Rich as they took their luggage to a room. It was one of the few bedrooms in the old castle that had been converted over to modern electricity, but it would serve for one week. She also noticed that it had a king size bed in it. She looked at the fabulous bed and said, "I guess one would expect that for a Lord." 

She saw Rich place the carry case holding Grimore down. He openned it and the cat leaped onto the bed. "I guess so, but I never knew my father held that title." She looked at him in surprise. She would have thought that someone would have mentioned it. He then said, "I'm learning alot about my family that I never knew before." She could tell that he was telling the truth. 

She walked over to his side and said, "Looks like this is a week for surprises." As she held him, she kissed him. It seemed almost romantic. When she was Emplate's prisoner, Yvette dreamed that one day, a knight in shinning armor would save her from the monster. Her dream had come true, in a way, except her knight was just becoming a knight. 

When he ended the kiss, he smiled and said, "Maybe we should look around a bit today. We still have some hours of daylight left." 

She nodded and said, "Maybe we might find some secret passages, or hidden rooms." Then she thought some more about the castle, and remember some of the stories about castles. The though scared her as she said it, "Do you think there might be a dungeon?" 

She noticed that he was thinking about it when he said, "Maybe, this castle is pretty old. It could very well be." The thought didn't set to well with her, remembering the time she had been imprisoned. She saw that he knew she was uneasy with the fact as he said, "Don't worry. If anything at all, they just show it on the tour." She felt him put his arms around her in a protective, caring way. It did make her feel a little better. 

After he let go of her, she said, "Shall we go exploring now? I guess I want to find out more about this 'home' for the next week." She was ready to explore. She watched as Rich closed his suitcase and led them out the door. 

As he closed the door, Rich said, "Best place to start are rooms not on the tour. I don't think that places on the tour would be linked to secret passages." She had to nod in agreement and then thought again. She knew that Rich always thought. 

With that thought running in her mind, she said, "Maybe we should check the rooms on the tour first. You once said that in plain sight is the best place to hide something." 

He looked at her and smiled. "Very true, and the library is on the tour, so a secret could be in the bookshelves there." He ran off in the direction, and she followed. She then noticed that Grimore was following them. She thought that this was very odd behavior for a cat. When they reached the room, she saw that Rich was already checking all the bookshelves. "If it's in here, the door handle should be on the bookshelf." 

She started to search the bookshelves and came across something odd. It was a book with an old binding, like it was from many years back. She read the cover aloud. "Mutants and Medival Times." 

She noticed Rich came over and said, "That makes no sense. Didn't mutants like us show up in the later part of this century?" 

She looked at the book and said, "I always thought so, but there are some older. Jean once told me that Sinister was from the 1800's." She then reached out to pull it out, but when she pulled it, the bookshelf next to it swung open. "It's a hidden switch." She went to look down the door that had just openned and found a dark stairway. "Shall we do down?" 

Rich took her hand and said, "I think so, it just feels like we need to go down there." She could feel that feeling to. They had to go down to the lower level. As he lead the way, the stairway got darker and darker. They were almost proceding in pitch black. Then he stopped, and she did as well, as a flame appeared in the air. It was on a torch. He just said, "I've never seen that happen before. It was like magic." 

She could tell he was amazed. She then noticed that other torches had lit up, leading to a door. As they approached the door, she noticed that it was a metal plate, with a inscription printed on it, and the imprint of a sword. She looked at the words and said, "I think this door is locked and only you can open it." 

She watched as Rich read the inscription. "It appears to translate into the language of the reader, since it looked at first like English from this region from long ago. 'Beyond these doors are the tomes of the Paladin Cale. Only the Paladin Cale can open this door with his sword.' That's weird since I don't have one." 

Yvette then heard Grimore meow and the cat was off. She looked at Rich and said, "I wonder if Grimore might have an idea on that." She was starting to get majorly suspicious at the cat's actions, as they started to follow the feline. 

Rich just said, "I've always suspected that Grimore was more than a cat, but I don't know how to explain it." As they followed the cat, Rich said, "Grimore has been with my family for as long as I have known, which is longer than any cat should live." She noticed that the cat ran into a room. As they entered the room, she saw Rich stop in surprise. All he could say was, "I don't believe it." 

She looked with him. There, above the fireplace, was the sword from the dream. The cat sat there, looking up at it. She just said, "It's the flaming sword, from the dream." She watched in awe as Rich just reached up and took it down. All of a sudden, it burst into flame. She now knew what the dream meant. Rich, like his father, and his grandfather, was the next one to hold that sword. Rich was the next to hold this strange title, but a very honorable title.

* * *

Rich felt a power surge through him as he held the sword. It was an almost awe-inspiring power, but something else was happening. His mind started to open up. Everything he had seen in his life that he had repressed started to surge through into his mind. It was almost more than he could handle. He started to fall to the floor. He felt Yvette catch him. He saw the concerned look in her eyes as she said, "What's wrong?" 

Rich weakly smiled and said, "All the memories from the past are coming back at me. A little to much for me to handle right now." He looked at his watch and said, "Maybe we should turn in for the night. I think that whatever is behind the door will wait until tomorrow, for it may take a day to get through it all." 

She helped him up and they walked to the bedroom that they had left their stuff in. When they got there, she just helped him onto the bed and said, "You rest here while I get ready in the bathroom." He nodded as she got her stuff together and went into the bathroom. When he met her, she was timid, shy, and scared. Now, she was different. She was free from the horror she had endured for part of her life. She was now free of that, and she also filled an emptyness that had been in his life for years. 

As she was getting ready for bed, Rich felt Grimore jump on the bed and walk over to his side. He smiled and petted Grimore. "You know Grimore. Yvette means alot to me. I wouldn't have asked anyone else to come here with me." The cat purred with approval. He then said, "I think you like having her around, too. I've never seen you so happy." The purr got louder. He continued petting the cat and said, "Ever since I met her, my life has been different. Yes, I've made a few more enemies, but with Yvette I don't have to fear them as much. Well, except for Emplate." He then noticed the cat stopped purring, but it's ears purked up, like it understood what he said. He then said, "Don't worry. Gen X helps us, and protects us. We are like a family." 

He then noticed Yvette coming out of the bathroom. She was wearing a blue night shirt that extened down to the floor. She came over to the bed and sat down next to him. "Were you talking to Grimore?" He nodded and she started to pet the cat. "Well, why don't you get ready for bed. I'll keep Grimore company." He nodded and went over to the bathroom. As he got ready he started to worry. What if Yvette would have a nightmare? Everything at school was slowly made to handle if it happened, but some of her clothes were still not prepared for such an occurance. He quickly got ready and headed into the bed room. He saw that she was under the covers and still petting Grimore. She just said, "He likes me alot." 

Rich nodded and climbed into bed. "He and I tend to think alike at times." She giggled at that and he said, "I hope you don't have a nightmare tonight." She nodded and he kissed her good night. "Sweet dreams." 

She smiled and said, "They will be if you're in them." He smiled back at her and outened the light. Soon enough, they were in dreamland.

* * *

Grimore just stretched his legs as he looked at the two sleeping forms to his sides. He couldn't believe it when he first saw the girl. Rich had found her again, but Rich had unfortunately found himself against someone that his parents tried to keep him seperate from. Grimore quietly left the bed and started to roam the halls. As he roamed, he had many thoughts running through his mind. How did Rich and Marius find out about each, unless it was by dumb luck. Grimore never believed in luck. He believed in destiny, and maybe that was what brought the two boys to encounter each other. So far, he could only figure that neither boy knew of the contact between their families. The cat slowly made his way to a gallery room, where Rich's parent's portraits were up. The cat watched quietly as they started to glow. As the glow slowly intensified, he just said, "So it begins. The title moves to the next in the family." He headed back to the room with his keeper. When he reached the bedroom, he was not surprised to find that even in their sleep, Rich and Yvette would find a way to keep each other in comfort, as in their own sleep, Rich had embraced Yvette. Grimore quietly got on the bed, and curled up on the pillow above their heads, and fell into a restful sleep. 


	49. Threads Of Fate

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Tradition 

Threads Of Fate 

Jubilee sat in the lounge as she and the others took turns playing Clue. It had been a quiet day. Rich and Penny were in England for the past couple of hours. She had wondered what could be going on, and thought best not to wonder. There was probably alot of things that would happen this week, but it didn't seem the same without Rich and Penny there. She just sighed and Everett looked at her and said, "What's wrong?" 

She looked at her boyfriend and said, "It feels so empty here with Rich and Penny away. I know Rich said that this is something that they had to do alone, but I wish they would let us know they are alright." 

Monet just said, "Well, it is the middle of the night there." Jubilee noticed that Monet seemed to be speaking out loud to everyone, but her focus was on Darrett. She wondered if Monet had feelings for the boy from the future. 

She then heard Daria say, "True, but the place seemes to be lacking a little bit of life without them here. I wonder what they might be up to." Jubilee was trying not to think of that, mainly because of some of the things that were likely to happen. 

She then noticed that Sean walked into the room and said, "Well, I think we can get a little life back to the school. We all are going to have company." 

She heard Angelo say, "Who's coming to visit? The X-Men?" Jubilee thought that would be terrific, to see Wolvie again. 

Sean then said, "Remember Mr. Lynch and the kids he trained?" 

Jubilee remembered them. It was just before Rich had come to the school that they first met the group of kids that called themselves Gen 13. She smiled at the activity that would be at the school for the time and said, "You mean they are visiting?" 

Sean nodded and said, "The whole lot. Mr. Lynch said that the kids thought it would be a good idea to visit. They'll be arriving in a few days, so ye all better be ready." 

Darrett just looked at Sean and said, "Who are these people?" 

Jubilee said, "They are a cool group. We met them a little while before Rich came to the school. They seem to be mutants, but they aren't. We ended up teaming up to fight Emplate and some weird dude named Trance." 

Daria looked at her and said, "Was he dangerous?" Understandable question, considering what had happened. 

Paige then said, "He could have been. He had kidnapped a mutant, but we rescued the mutant, but he teamed up with Emplate and I had followed them with one of the Gen 13 group. I think his codename was Grunge." 

Angelo then said, "Well, you did get him in trouble. When we parted company that time, he was doin' some major explaining to that Roxy chick." 

Jubilee watched as Jono turned to face Paige and said, _"Was that before the incident at your home?"_

Jubilee had an idea what Jono was talking about, and said, "Hey, what's past is past. I think we should start getting ready for company. She looked over at Sean and said, "What are we going to do about sleeping quarters for them?" 

Sean just looked at her and said, "Well, I was thinking of doing a bunk up thing." 

Jubilee just swallowed. She had to admit that having there own rooms right now was cool, and having a roommate wasn't too bad, but she was a bit apprehensive about one thing. "Sean, what about Sarah?" 

Sean realized what she was getting at. "Ye know, I forgot about that." 

Jubilee then heard Monet say, "Yes, that is something I can tolerate, but I don't think I'd feel to comfortable about sharing my room with her." She watched as Paige nodded as well. 

She could tell that Daria looked abit confused as she said, "What's wrong?" 

Everett just said, "She's of the same lifestyle that Rich's cousin Godiva is." Daria then understood. 

She noticed that Sean didn't really count on this reaction and said, "Well, I guess we'll have to give them all seperate rooms. I was hoping at least that someone wouldn't have a problem, but then again, I think I'd be a bit uncomfortable in the same situation. Alright, we'll start tomorrow getting everything ready." She watched as he left the room. She liked the idea of having something like this happening. It was a chance to see their friends again. 

* * *

Rich openned his eyes as the sunlight came in the bedroom window. Lying infront of him was Yvette. During the night, she told him in their dreams that she was a bit scared and he put his arm around her. He had awoken to find his arm still around her waist. He had remember that Grimore had been lying between them, but Rich saw that his cat was on the pillow, just above their heads. At least this nights sleep was restful, but Yvette had been on the verge of a nightmare, that was when she had asked him to hold her. Now it was time to wake up, and discover what was in the hidden library. He kissed Yvette lightly on the cheek and whispered in her ear, "Time to wake up." 

She turned to face him and said, "Good morning. I slept well, did you?" She knew he was going through alot of grief this week, but he felt that he wouldn't make it through this week if he didn't have her in his life. 

Rich nodded and said, "I think we better get ready. There is a room with many mysteries in it waiting for us." She nodded and got out of the bed. He waited until she entered the bathroom before he started to get ready for the day. He then heard Grimore meow as the cat woke up. He went over to his suitcase and started to get his outfit together for the day. He looked at the sword that they had found. It was odd that this item was almost a thousand years old. As he got dressed, he said to Grimore, "Grimore, I wish I knew more about this. I also wish I understood what happened when I first held the sword. It seemed to just overwhelm me." It was true. All the memories did overwhelm him, but Yvette had helped him. He stood and walked over to where he had placed the sword. He looked at it as he pondered it's history. "What have I gotten myself into?" Rich quietly asked himself. 

He heard Yvette behind him saying, "Something that can help you help people more than before." He was almost started by her appearence, but then she was good at surprising him. He turned to face her, and she gave him a warm loving smile. He gave her a good morning kiss, and she said in their mind link {You want to try and get some breakfest before we enter the library.} 

He had completely forgot about breakfest. He was so determined to find out about the library that he forgot about food, and almost about his medicine. He ended the kiss and said, "You're right. I be right down, and I meet you in the kitchen." She nodded and left the room, and he ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

* * *

Yvette was slightly amazed at what she saw. The kitchen had enough food in it to last them the week. Who had stocked the place? She didn't expect all the food she had seen, mainly because the castle was mostly not lived in. Even Rich was amazed when he entered and saw all the food. When they had finished eating, they made there way to the library. Yvette turned to her boyfriend and said, "This is getting weirder and weirder." 

Rich seemed to be a little less amazed as he said, "I don't think I'm surprised at all. It's like everything is meant to happen, and we just have to figure out what is going on." 

She took his hand as they entered a big room. As they passed through it, she stopped, looking at the portraits. "Rich, look at the portraits. It looks like us." She watched as he glances up and gasped in surprise. She then said, "Is this castle haunted?" 

She noticed that Rich just shrugged and said, "I don't know, but I think all our answers are in the sealed room." She nodded in agreement. They needed answers and that room had to hold them. She noticed that the whole time, Grimore was at their side, almost like a dog would stay at the side of his master, except Grimore was a cat. After a short time of walking, they had arrived at the door. Rich held the sword up and said, "Alright, here we go. I hope this works." 

She had stood back and held her hands together. She was praying that they would get their answers soon. She heard a click as Rich placed the sword on the door, and the door flew open. She was almost blinded by the light, and realized that the light was coming from all over, like the room was glowing. She followed Rich as he entered the room, and she saw it. Book as far as the eye could see. "My goodness. It would take forever to read all these books." 

Rich walked through the door, and straight to one podium, where a book lied there, with a lock on it. Yvette walked over to him and looked at the book. Something about it scared her. It just reminded her of something sinister, like Emplate. She then heard Rich say, "This is that book. My family has this book, and it's real. I don't believe it." 

She was almost startled when she heard the odd voice speak. "Indeed. It has been your familiy's job to protect it for almost a milennium." She, as well as Rich spun around to face who had spoken. She was shocked when all she saw was Grimore. 

With a shaky voice, she heard Rich say, "Y-y-you c-c-can talk, Grimore?" She found it a bit unnerving too, but something seemed to comfort her about it. 

She listened as the cat continued, "Always could, but I can only talk with the head of the family, and their significant other." 

She sat down, as well as Rich, and said to the cat, "You mean to say that now, you can only talk to Rich or myself, and no one else." The cat nodded and then she said, "But how do you know?" 

The cat walked up to them and said, "I have been around for 1000 years. Because I serve the Paladin's, I know things. Like when I first met you. You do remember that time back when you were 9, don't you Richard." 

She watched as Rich closed his eyes and said, "Yes, I'm remember that now. I was in Yugoslavia, but I don't recall much after that. I remember a little girl about 2 years old, she was..." She watched as he looked at her. She had been told long ago about how she and Rich once met, and now he was remembering it. "you, Yvette." 

She listened as Grimore said, "That's right. You two had met back then, but hadn't seen each other since then, until you found each other again." 

She felt Rich hesistate, like he was about to ask a question, and then he said it. "Grimore, I have a memory in my head, which I can't explain. It's about when my parents were here, and I was with a friend of the family." 

She watched as the cat held up a paw. "You'll find out tomorrow. Right now, you might want to check out some of these tomes. Some date back to the signing of the Magna Carta, and a few date back even further." She watched as Rich headed to one of the shelves and started looking through all the books. 

As he started to read one, Yvette turned to face Grimore and said, "Grimore, do you know anything about Rich's ability?" It was an honest question, one she was concerned about. 

Grimore looked at her and said, "Yes I do, and he didn't know the full extent of his abilities. True, if he holds an ability long enough, it becomes his permanently, but he can hold a second ability." 

She was puzzled by this. "What do you mean second ability?" 

The cat smiled and said, "Simply put, after this week, he'll have your ability. Of that, there is no doubt, but for short times, he will hold a second ability. That, however would require about a week of proximity, which might mean that he might not ever hold a second ability." 

She then wonder what the cat might know about Emplate. She knew that Rich and Emplate's paths had almost crossed before, due to her helping him recover from his ordeal. She looked at the cat and said, "Grimore, what do you know about...." 

Her question was cut off when Rich shouted, "Yvette, come over here. You must see this." She walked over to his side, to see a book in his hand. It was turned to a page, and had a picture on it. When she watched the picture, it seemed to change. She watched in awe as what looked like an island came into view. He just looked at her and said, "This is just like..." 

She heard Grimore cut of Rich's statement, "Yes, it is that particular island, and it still exists with it's inhabitants. Your parent's company funded for the game to be made based off the place." 

She looked as Rich said, "You mean the island exists?" 

"Your family always grasped the ideas of alternate realities, possiblities, and the likes," Grimore stated. It was as if he was telling Rich something that Rich already knew. 

Rich blinked and said, "You mean to say that all of this is real." The cat nodded and Rich then shook his head and said, "My goodness. This could explain something." 

The cat looked at him, almost puzzled and said, "Richard, what do you mean by that?" 

Rich then said, "A few months ago, our lives were save by a mutant from the future. His name is Darrett, but he can summon villians, and use them to fight for him. One time, he brought forth a villian he couldn't control, and now it's running free. The way he decribed the man makes me wonder if it is..." 

Yvette saw the cat's hair stand up as it said, "That is not good at all. You might want to notify the lad that his father is free." 

Rich looked at Grimore and said, "Do we have to travel there, and if so how will we get back?" She saw that Rich was concerned about that. 

The cat just shook his head and said, "Just call him. He'll hear you." She saw the discomfort in Rich's eyes, and she understood why. She would feel uneasy if she was talking to a book. 

* * *

Darrett had been working on setting up the room for the boy that he was told to be codenamed Grunge. Mondo had been helping him, but the boy had gone to spend some time with Daria. Darrett was uneasy with that, but he would always feel uneasy, since he was from a future where two members of Gen X were his parents. He never told anyone who is parents were, but he felt one day he had to. As he continued to work, he heard a familiar voice say "Hello, Darrett." He turned to see Monet facing him, however she didn't seem like her usual self. 

He felt a little nervous when he finally replied to her. "Hello, Monet." He saw her smile when he said her name. He wondered now if she was in love with him, but another thing bothered him, was it Monet, or her sister, Claudette. He wasn't to sure how to respond as he said, "Can I help you with something Monet?" 

He heard her giggle as she got closer to him and said, "Well, I was wondering if you might like to join me at a movie?" 

He had to admit he was flattered by the question. He tried to remember that Monet was the sister of Emplate, but the thought kept getting pushed back. He just nodded and said, "Sure." He wasn't to sure why he was agreeing, but it sort of felt like he couldn't say no. 

She smiled at him and said, "I'll see you tomorrow night, then." She smiled and started out the room. He couldn't help but watch her as she left. He was almost hypnotized by her. He then shook his head to snap himself out of it. 

He just sat down and focused on his ability. A second later, two familiar figures were standing infront of him. The one said in it's winney voice, "Is something wrong, Master Darrett?" 

The other, in his flashy 1930's attire said, "I must say, you do look abit shook up?" 

He looked at the two figures and said, "I am. I think I've just agreed to go on a date with Monet?" He couldn't believe that it had happened, but he managed to continue, "but, she didn't seem to be acting normal. She was acting out of character for her." 

Henry, just looked at him and said, "That is a puzzle. Maybe there is more to her than one would think?" Henry Stauf, who he conjured on a regular basis, had a very good point. Monet did have many sides to here, in more ways than one. 

The other figure, which was that of a being called the Skesis, said, "I once promised peace, but I fooled them." It was another good point. What if it was a trick of somesort. He decided he need a more older view on the mater, and headed for Emma Frost's office. Maybe she could help.

* * *

Emma sat in her office, trying to plan out where their guests would be staying. Sean's idea of having some of the visitors bunk with the students didn't work out as planned, but they had to place them all in seperate dorm rooms. It however left for the two, for lack of a better word, guardians with out a place to sleep. She didn't want them to stay away from the school, but she had to give them a place to stay. She sighed and said, "I guess I'll be in Sean's cottage for a few days." She had to admit, the idea did have a few perks. Over the time at the school, she had started liking Sean, a bit more than one would like a friend. She heard a knocking at her door, which brought her to her senses. She just said, "Come in." 

She was surprised as Darrett came in the door, followed by two of his usual summoned beings behind him. She sometimes felt that the boy's ability was a bit discomforting, but the boy did look troubled. When they were all in, he just said, "Miss Frost, I have a problem." 

She motioned for him to sit down and said, "You can tell me, but do they.." Before she got the words out, Darrett dismissed the beings he had conjured. She regained her words and said, "Now what's the problem?" 

Darrett sighed and said, "I don't know what to think of this, but Monet came up to me and asked me out, and for some reason, I agreed. Part of me didn't even want to agree." 

She saw how much this was troubling the boy. She sat down and said, "Why is this troubling you so much?" 

Darrett just said, "Well, when Monet asked me out, she wasn't acting like she normally was. She wasn't the person she normally shows herself to be." This started to worry Emma abit. She wondered if it was really Monet who flirted with Darrett. The boy then said, "I guess I also feel uncomfortable with the fact that Monet is Emplate's sister." 

She understood what Darrett met by that. In Darrett's time, Emplates practically ruled the world. She had to think on the advice to give Darrett. On one hand, she wanted to say to him to call it off, but the other wondered if it was genuine. She finally had to give her answer, "Darrett, I think you are the only one who can answer this. It's hard to say who made the offer, but be careful." She watched as he nodded and left the room. She wondered if she gave Darrett the best advice for his situation. Her thought was cut of as her phone rang. She hoped that it wasn't bad news as she picked it up. 

* * *

Rich made his way back to the bedroom, with Yvette by his side. As they walked up, he heard Yvette say, "I never knew all that existed." With a combined effort, they had gone through about half the books. 

As they entered the bedroom, he just said, "And we only got through half of the books down there." It had been exhausting, but they learned alot about his past, which include his interest in the supernatural. He sat down on the bed, and fell back. He then said, "I hope that tomorrow isn't as exhausting, or unusual." He found it very odd having a conversation with a book, but discovering that Grimore could talk almost blew his mind. 

He saw that Yvette had laid down next to him. She faced him and said, "Well, if this is the most exhausting day we'll have, then we can be thankful for the rest of the week." He admired her optimism during this time. 

He then heard Grimore say, "I don't know if you'll like the rest of the week, but I can give you both some insight." He glanced at the cat as it took a spot on the end of the bed. "You'll probably get two phone calls tomorrow." 

Rich looked over at Grimore, a bit startled, and said, "Who knows that were here?" He watched as Grimore jumped off the bed, and headed for the door. He asked again, "Grimore, who knows that we are here?" 

Grimore stopped and looked at him, "Your father's friends. You are the next to hold the title, and they will be contacting you." The cat left the room, and Rich just had to wonder about that. 

He felt Yvette kiss him on the cheek, as she said in their mind link {That is very creepy.} 

He turned to face the love of his life and kissed her in return. {I know, but we have to go through with this. It is tradition in my family. Maybe those calls can answer some of the questions Grimore wouldn't answer.} 

He saw the worried look in her eyes as she said, {My love, what if you would die in one of these undertakings?} 

He understood what she meant. What his family did in this title dated back for ages as a dangerous task. Even in the books they had read through, they had found numerous accounts of almost fatal encounters, and one encounter always seemed to be played out against the same foe. He put his arms around her and said, {I don't want to think about that, no matter how likely it is, but it is no more dangerous than us going against some of the foes that Gen X has faced.} She nodded as he said that. He then said, {Now, let's put all these nasty thoughts out of our heads. It is nighttime and we should get some rest.} 

She kissed him and said, "Good night, my love." She then left to get ready, and he began the same task. Rich knew how much Yvette meant to him, and started to feel that he should do something he had been thinking about for a while. Even though she was still a couple of years from being an adult, Rich had been considering proposing to Yvette. Maybe, he would do that before they would head back. 

He left the room for a moment to look for Grimore, but was started when he heard his cat behind him. "Thinking about asking her something serious?" He turned and nodded. The cat just smiled. Rich had never seen a cat smile. Never really thought a cat could smile, but he saw it. Grimore just said, "You might not have to get the words out before you get your response." 

He looked at Grimore, a bit puzzled, and said, "What do you mean by that?" The question hit dead ears as the cat walked into the bedroom. He was truely puzzled now, but he'd have to ponder it more in the morning. 


	50. More Memories

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Tradition 

More Memories 

Sean walked into Emma's office to discuss the new arrangements that the kids had been working on. He was a bit concerned with the rooming of Mr. Lynch and the android guardian, Anna, when he saw Emma holding her head. He figured something was wrong. "Emma, did ye get bad news?" 

Emma looked at him, and he could tell that there was something seriously wrong. "I just found out that some of the people in my company made some bad moves, and we are in risk of loosing the school unless I can get the money back quick." That wasn't good at all. 

Sean let out a heavy sigh. This was a problem. If they lost the school, he didn't want to think what would happen. He looked at her and said, "What do ye plan on doing?" 

Emma sat back and said, "Well, I was planning to point them in the right direction." He saw the smile and figured that she would control her people to secure the school. He didn't particularly like that idea. 

He then decided to stop that idea. "Emma, I have a challenge for ye. I want ye to get the money, without using your abilities." He saw her drop her smile. He had made a worthy challenge. 

Emma sighed, which he could tell was a sign that she was going to take the challenge. She then said, "Guess that leaves me with only one option, and I don't like it one bit." 

He looked at her and said, "What's that?" He was truely puzzled by her response. 

She then said, "I'll have to ask Adrienne for it, but given current situations, I don't think it would be wise." 

He started to ask her why, when he realized part of what she meant. "Ye mean Richard, don't ye?" She nodded and he sighed. "Yur right on not wanting to do that." Then the idea hit him, although it was an odd idea. "Emma, if Rich might get the company his parents own, wouldn't he be able to help?" 

He saw her surprised look as she said, "Why didn't I think of that?" He had to agree with her, but didn't. She then looked at him and said, "Now that we might have that resolved, why did you come in here?" 

Well, after that breif thinking session, Sean said, "Well, I was wondering about these arrangements for Mr. Lynch and his associate." 

Emma smiled and said, "Sean, I did that to make sure they weren't bunking with the kids. Besides, you won't mind having me as a house guest again, will you?" He could see the look in her eye. Something told him that she liked the idea of staying in his place. 

He decided to choose his words carefully at that point. "Nae. It should be alright, but just keep yur mind out of my dreams." 

She kept the same smile as she said, "Remember Sean, I didn't exactly choose to jump into your dreams. Now, you might want to start getting your place ready." She had a point. He decided right then that he better get back to his lodging on the campus and start preparing it for Emma. When he was out of her earshot, he just sighed. He felt that this visit would feel like twice the time they had set aside.

* * *

Everett walked with Jubilee, around the campus. It was one of the many things he liked about the area the school was in. It always seemed picturesqe, and with Jubilee, it seemed perfect. He never knew how much he cared for her until after Rich joined the school. His thoughts were soon broken when Jubilee said, "Ya know, Ev, it'll be nice to see all of our friends again." 

He nodded and said, "It sure will. I just hope they don't bring anybody following them." It seemed that the last time they had met their friends, someone was after them. Now it was just suppose to be a quiet get together. 

As they were reflecting on the moment of beauty, he heard Jubilee say in a concerned voice, "Ev, do you think something is wrong with Monet?" Everett knew better than anyone on campus that Monet and Jubilee never got along to well. This took him by surprise. 

He stopped Jubilee and said, "Why are you worried that something is wrong with her?" 

He watched her look down and said, "Well, she hasn't been acting like herself lately. Her actions are almost like a completely different person. I had never seen her flirt like she has been with Darrett. In fact, I've never seen her flirt at all." 

Everett had an idea on what she was saying. "You think that Monet might not be in control." She nodded and he said, "Well, so far, she has been in control when we needed her. Maybe Claudette is surfacing just to stretch her legs, in a way. She nodded and it seemed he calmed her fears. He then walked her back to her dorm room for the night. 

* * *

Rich awoke to an odd sound. When he openned his eyes, he noticed for the first time that there was a phone in the room, at a desk in the corner. He got out of bed, carefully not to wake Yvette, and went to it. The clock on the wall said it was 6:00 AM. He was still use to time in the states, at least in his area of the states. He sat down at the desk and picked up the phone, wondering who would be calling him. Grimore had said that they would have two phone calls. With that in mind, he finally said, "Hello?" 

The voice on the other end sounded very familiar to him, but he couldn't place it, not at first. "Hello Richard. It's been a little while since we last spoke. How is Godiva and her museum doing?" 

The mention of the museum told him who he was talking to as he gasped. He struggled for his words as he spoke the question he felt he didn't want to know the answer to. "Mr. St. Croix, is that you?" 

The man on the other end reply quickly but calmly, "Yes, it is me Richard. You had no idea that I knew your father, and your grandfather. I think you blocked it all out after what happened when you parents were at the castle." 

When the man said those words, Rich's mind exploded. That whole week had been a blur for the most part, and then it became so clear. That one day that made him forget most of the events that week stood out in his mind. He struggled with his word as he said the next, "You mean when your wife died?" 

He heard the man make an affirmative sound as he said, "Yes, Rich. Had I not gotten home when I did, you two would have found out about each other sooner than either I or your father could have expected. I was startled to find out that your paths had crossed." 

Rich sat back in the chair, startled by what he had heard. "You mean that my folks were aware of Emplate's existance." He was startled and scared by that revelation. 

Cartier St. Croix just said, "Yes, and we went to great lengths to keep you two seperated. I know all about Grimore, and it was Grimore who informed your grandfather about Marius. You were only a baby when we found out. That time you stayed at our place, I had taken Marius from the house to another place, but he was already out of control. I'm sure you heard him when he killed my wife." 

Rich felt like everything he knew started to come crashing down on him. Eventually he said, "Did he know that I was there?" 

He heard Cartier reply, "No, he just knew someone was there. Marius seeks two things, mutants to control as vampire mutants, for that is his mutant gift, and the ultimate magic. Your family has the one item he truely seeks." 

Rich knew what Cartier was talking about. "The book of names. I never thought it existed." 

The response from Cartier was almost startling, "Each person that has held our titles has wished that. Since the Paladin's use an honorable magic, the book is safest with you. My family has always been gifted in the dark arts, but have been blessed with the wisdom on how to use it to be beneficial. However, I fear that when I die, Marius will get the title that I have held for so long." 

Rich sighed and said, "That doesn't sound good at all. All of my encounters with your son have not been easy." 

"You have an extra problem. Yvette has always drawn Emplate's attention. He will stop at nothing to get her back, but that might end soon." His responce startled Rich. It didn't sound good, but the tone denoted that it would be much better than he thought. 

Rich wanted to know more as he said, "Cartier, what did you mean by that?" 

He heard Cartier chuckle as he said, "You will have to wait and see, Richard. Let the week play out. You also might want to check out the library soon. Don't worry, we'll be in touch in the future." At that, Cartier hung up the phone. Rich put the receiver down and sighed. 

He looked back at the bed with Yvette lying on it. She looked like she was having a nightmare. He ran over to the bed and removed the covers, not wanting to ruin them, and took her in his arms. He just held her and in their mind link said, {Don't be scared, my love. I'm here for you.}

* * *

Yvette could not believe how fast this nightmare hit her. It was horrible. She was captured by Aura and Emplate, while another figure held up Rich, who appeared dead. She started strugging to get free, but she couldn't. Before it got any worse, she heard her love saying, {Don't be scared, my love. I'm here for you.} She blinked her eyes and she was standing, in Rich's arms. His head was by hers. She was awake. 

She hugged the man she loved and said, {It was terrible. It was all my worse fears come true.} She thought she said it aloud, but she realized that she said it in their mind link. She then heard a quiet tearing. She looked at her hands as he still held her. They were all tense, and starting to cut anything she touched. She then realized what the tearing was. She focused on untensing her body. 

She watched as her hands slowly softened. Soon she heard her love say aloud, "Are you calming down?" 

She glanced down and her own attire, noting the rips that had formed. She then said, "I think so, but I don't think my attire faired too well." She could see some of the tears slowly getting larger. It was embarassing, but she figured it would have been more embarassing if she was with one of the other guys from school. 

Almost as if signalled, a phone rang. She hadn't seen it on the desk before, and now she noticed it. Rich just kissed her and said, "That's the other call. I'll take care of that while you get dressed." She watched as he went over to the phone. She quickly grabbed her clothes for the day and enter the bathroom. 

She closed the door and sighed. She sometimes wondered if she could ever conquer the nightmares she had. It did have a disasterous effect on some of her wardrobe, and she only packed enough clothing for a week. If she had more scares like this, however, she would be lacking in clothes by the end of the week. She then realized something. She had grabbed only part of the clothes that were made specially for her. Since she had started looking more like a normal girl, she still needed special clothing. Even her Gen X outfit was laced with some of the restraints that Emplate made her wear, but not enough to preserve all of the out fit. The material was difficult to make, and they had to use it sparingly, as well as integrating it slowly. Most of her regular clothes were not laced with the material, but some was. She just prayed that she wouldn't have a scare again today. When she was finally ready, she left the bathroom and saw Rich sitting by the phone, holding his head. She kissed him on the cheek and said, "Is everything ok?" 

She watched as he stood up and said, "Confusing, but I think it's ok." She was concerned about his responce. He then said, "I'll explain after I get ready, but it looks like we have to look in the library again." She watched as he headed into the bathroom. 

She sat down on the edge of the bed and waited. As she waited, she saw Grimore walk over to her side. She reached over and petted the cat. She looked at Grimore and said, "What has him worried?" 

The cat purred as it responded. "His past. His new title. He's learning more about himself that he wanted to ever admit to." She watched as the cat looked at her and said, "But he's strong, and he also has you to help him through this." 

She looked at the cat and smiled. "I'll stay with him as long as it takes. I can't imagine my life without him." 

The cat looked at her and resonded, "He feels the same way about you." She figured that much. She even suspected that he would ask her to marry him. 

She then asked Grimore the question she was wondering about. "Grimore, do you think Rich will ask me to marry him this week?" 

The cat jumped to the floor and said, "I think it would be a moot point. You both already know the answer to it." As the cat headed out to the room, he stopped and said, "Well, you have part of the answer." 

She wanted to ask what he meant by that when Rich had come out of the bathroom. He walked over to her and kissed her again. "Well, this has been an informative day so far." 

She kissed him in return and said, "Who was that who called you?" 

He sighed and said, "It was my father's friend in Germany. It appears that my father was part of a group of three. In fact, in the library, there is an account of something that happened that all three had to combat." 

She noticed the uneasyness in his mind through their mind link. She then said, "Was Monet's father the other friend?" He nodded and she then said, "So they knew about Emplate?" 

He nodded and said, "Yes, and they both went to great lengths to make sure our paths didn't cross. Emplate doesn't even know that our fathers were friends." 

She watched as he started to head out of the room. She knew where he was heading and held his arm. She just said, "I'm with you for as long as you need me." 

He smiled and kissed her when she said that. In their mind, he said, {My love. I feel that will be a long time. I don't think I could live with out you.} She could tell that he meant it. He meant the same to her. 

* * *

Monet awoke in the same spot she had awoken in the previous morning, trapped in their mind as Claudette controlled their actions. She was a prisoner in her own mind, and she needed to break free. As she started to try and break free, she heard her sister say, "Now now, Monet, you can have control once I've had my fun." 

Monet knew what her sister was up to. [I know what you have planned. I won't allow it.] 

She cringed as she heard Claudette laugh. "Like you have a choice." All those dreams that Claudette bombared her with that night was enough to give her evil sister an edge to gain control. Now Claudette was going to cause some sort of trouble. She noticed that Claudette was standing in front of a mirror. She saw the outfit that Claudette had picked out. It stunned her to even be seen wearing something like that. It looked like something Emma wore in her days with the Hellfire Club, the only difference that Emma most likely wore more than that. 

Monet started to scream. [What are you up to, Claudette?] She was somewhat terrified by what this could mean. 

She heard Claudette giggle and say, "Well, I have had my eye on Darrett for a while now. But, I fear that you might be right. This outfit might make everyone realized the hellraiser that I am. Maybe I should wear some of that boring stuff you like." Monet just watched as Claudette started to find a suitable outfil. It was definately getting harder to control Claudette. Monet was terrified of her twin, and now her sister was going to try something totally off the wall.

* * *

Angelo looked about the lounge, as Paige and Jono watched the news. Although he was never interested by the news before, the lead story had grabbed the interest of everyone at the school. He just sat quietly as the anchor on the news spoke. "It has been four days since the murder of Richard Cale, Sr. and his wife in their home in Easton, Pa. Their murder seems to be a random act of mutant vileance. Local authorities feel it is linked to the escape of a mutant fugative who goes by the name of 'Soundwave.' From what authorities has released is that a mutant killed them that made orphans of mutant children. Government officals have launched a full scale manhunt for 'Soundwave', but they are not certain that 'Soundwave' is the mastermind. Due to the fact that Richard Cale, Jr., who was key in the conviction of 'Soundwave', is under protection, they consider any threat to the boy as an admission of being part of the murder. News people have asked what Richard Cale, Jr. has to say about this act, but his cousin informs reporters that Richard Cale remains unavailable, due to a family tradition." 

Paige just said, "Ah don't believe it. This seems to be exploding beyond comprehension." Angelo had to agree. All that had happened was enough to blow anyone's mind. 

He then said, "At least they didn't say where Rich was, or that he went to school here." That could have been disasterous. He then had a disturbing thought. "You don't think Emplate, and Soundwave would use this opportunity to attack us, do you?" 

He saw Paige shudder at that. He remembered the last time that Soundwave attacked the school. It was utter hell. He then heard Jono say, _"I doubt that they would work together. Emplate wants Rich alive, where Soundwave wants him dead. Although, Soundwave does have a freaky idea of how to get his kicks."_

Angelo shuddered and said, "I don't want to become the human spider web again. We should be ready if he tries an attack." 

He was startled when Monet came in and said, "Who tries an attack, Emplate?" He wasn't startled by the fact that Monet had asked the question, but her attire seemed somewhat different. She seemed more like she was trying to get the attention of a guy. 

He just said, "Soundwave. You remember, Rich's old 'friend' that tried to frame him, came here and tried to kill him not to long ago." He saw something in Monet's eyes at that moment. He honestly saw hatred in her eyes. 

He was expecting her to shout out loud when she just calmly said, "Don't worry. We can handle him. By the way, has anyone seen Darrett?" He watched as she just sighed at the negative responce and then left the room. 

When he was sure she was out of the room, he said, "I don't know, but I thought Monet was about to snap when I mentioned Soundwave?" 

He heard Jono respond, _"She was about to. I could sense it. She's not herself lately."_

Angelo then heard Paige say something that did bother him. "I wonder if it's Claudette, and what she's thinking?" It was a disturbing thought. They knew only what Monet told them about Claudette, but was Monet telling them the truth or lies. 


	51. Search For The Truth

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Tradition 

Search for the Truth 

Rich sat at one end of the table in the library, while Yvette sat next to him. Each of them were reading one of the many books that was in the library. He was learning so much about his family, and the past of his family and friends. He knew that Yvette was looking through one of the more current books, most likely writen by his father, but he was looking through one of the oldest tomes in the library. Finally, he had found something very important. He put his hand on Yvette's and said, "Look at this, Yvette." 

She looked up and looked at the book he was reading. As she looked at it, she asked "What did you find?" 

He pointed to the page and said, "This passage is from sometime in the 990's. It states that for some reason, my ancestor, as well as the ancestors of my father's friends met and had an enlightening experience. The three were bound that day to fight for the betterment of mankind, as well as for what is right and just." He almost froze when he saw the next line. 

He felt Yvette squeeze his hand slightly. "What's wrong?" 

Rich's forced the words out. "I-i-it appears that my ancestor, the first Paladin, was given the task to fight one of the major forces of evil on our planet. He was to fight a being that dubbed himself the one thing man feared most. It says that the being dubbed himself 'End Times'. He saw the puzzled looked in her eyes. He then said the word he knew it meant. "Apocalypse." 

He heard her gasp as she asked a very serious question. "Has anyone ever survived it?" 

He didn't know how to answer it. The mutant that dubbed himself that had existed for a long time. He just sat back, almost exausted just by thinking about the unthinkable scenario and said, "I don't know. I'm guessing not." 

Another voice then spoke, and it was Grimore. "The fact of the matter is that none of your ancestors lived long afterword. In fact, I think that is why this happened now." 

Rich looked at Grimore, as well as Yvette, and said, "What do you mean?" 

The cat jumped onto the table and said, "Every one of your ancestors died not to soon after the fight with Apocalypse. It took a tool on both sides, but it just weakened Apocalypse. He keeps a close eye on your family." 

Yvette just said, "You mean that Rich is going to fight Apocalypse and die?" He understood her fear. 

He watched as Grimore looked at him and said, "I don't know. You see, Apocalypse has been watching the Cales for a long time. He knew it was a matter of time before a mutant was born into the family, and that could seriously complicate his agenda. However, Rich's abilities I think made him panic. He went to great lengths to try and eliminate you." 

Rich had an idea what Grimore was hinting at, but didn't press it. He then said, "How long until this fight, and why would he want me to hold the title now?" 

He watched as the cat said, "If we are lucky, it can be held off for a few years, but worse case scenario would be before the end of the year. As for why, it's obvious. You are inexperenced with the title. And you have been denying your family past for a good many years now." 

Rich understood what Grimore meant. He sighed and said, "You're right. Grimore, is their anything else that we should know?" It was an honest question. They have had a good deal of surprises this week so far. 

The cat just jumped of the table and said, "Yes, but I can't tell you just now. I can only tell the both of you that tomorrow will change your lives." Rich sat back as Grimore left the room. 

He was slightly stunned by what he had learned. He never knew that his existance could be so important. What happened to just living a normal life? Yes, he was a mutant and he could make that normal. Yes, he was rich, but he wanted a normal pay. Yes, he had a girlfriend that was a mutant, and he loved her a great deal, and that he always wanted. Now, he had much more to deal with. He was one of the few people that could make a difference in the world, although most people wouldn't know it. He was not a person trying to make a small part of the world his home. To one being, he was a problem that needed to be snuffed out. He was scared. He then felt Yvette hug him. He looked at her and she smiled and kissed him. As they kissed, she just said, {I believe in you my love. I also know that you will not die, because I won't let you. You're too important to all of your friends to die, and I know that you can fight Apocalypse. He's scared of you.} He felt a bit better as she spoke. He felt better about his situation. 

Yvette didn't want to end the kiss, but she felt that he needed to see what she found in the book she was reading. It had alot to do with how his father, and Monet's father knew each other. When she stopped the kiss, she just said, "You need to see this." 

He looked at the book she was ready and said, "What did you find?" 

She held his hand, to comfort him, as she said, "It appears that a few years back, your father, and his two friends, fought a creature in Algeria. It was a strange combination exhibiting traits of both male and female. It called itself M-Plate." 

Rich looked at her, and she could see the shock in his eyes. "You meant Monet and Emplate merged, and this was the result." She then noticed as he corrected himself. "Claudette, she was included." 

She nodded and said, "Your father states that it took them a few hours to subdue the creature and seperated the three. Emplate was forced to the respirator he wears, and he disappeared from sight. Monet was put in charge of keeping Claudette under control." 

Rich gasped as he came to a similar conclusion that she had reached. "Monet is suppose to keep Claudette repressed, but Claudette must be breaking through at times, and even communicating with Emplate." She hadn't taken it that far, but she didn't want to believe that much. 

She looked at him and said, "How can you be sure of that much?" She noticed that he looked like he had some doubts about it. She didn't want to believe that one of their best friends would turn them over to Emplate if they got the chance. 

Rich then sighed. She could tell that the thought was heavy on his mind. "Ok, let me think this out. Monet is told to keep Claudette in check, but she has these attacks. What if the twins are fighting, and those times are when Claudette can assert control and contact Emplate." 

She knew what Rich was getting to, and then said, "Rich, maybe we have seen her in control. Those times when Monet doesn't act like herself. What if it is Claudette?" She started to worry about that. How many times did Claudette have the oppurtunity to betray them? She felt a little bit of comfort when Rich squeezed her hand. 

Rich sat back and said, "There is one person who we can ask, and that is Cartier. Maybe we should give him a call." She watched as he stood up, and then followed him out of the room. They were going to get an answer to this question. 

Grimore was laying on the bed when he saw Rich and Yvette enter. He could clearly tell that his new master was bothered by something. He watched as Rich headed for the phone, and he had a feeling that the boy was going to try and call someone. He stood up and said, "The phone won't work until after the lawyer visits tomorrow." 

He watched as Rich spun around and said, "What lawyer? You never mentioned anything about a lawyer." The boy was shocked, however, the boy was no longer his former self. 

Grimore just said, "Simple. There are some legal matters to take care, like the ownership of the business, and other customary things. As well, you have some new aspects of your power to get use too. The way I figure, the two of you have the same ability now." He noticed as he saw Rich smile, as well as Yvette. 

He then heard Yvette say, "Emplate can't try to control you anymore." Apparently, Rich had claimed the attention of Marius, but he didn't understand his condition fully. 

Grimore walked to the edge of the bed and said, "Not true. Rich, he can still force his ability on you, but it would take longer for it to surface and stick. Yvette's ability is your primary ability. You still could hold other abilities." He saw a bit of a crest fallen look on his master's face. 

He watched as Rich kneeled down to look at him and said, "You mean that I might still become a victim to Emplate?" As he nodded, he heard Rich say, "What about Claudette, is she a threat to us as well?" 

Grimore didn't want to talk about that. He had seen what the three St. Croix children had become, and a majority of their abilities came from Claudette's symbiotic magnification. He just said, "As long as Monet can surpress Claudette, she is no threat, but if Claudette can assert control, there is no telling what might happen. I take it you want to talk to Cartier." When Rich nodded, he just said, "Well, the lawyer will arrive around 9 a.m, so you can call him afterwords." He saw the relief on the faces of the two. He then headed up to the pillow and said, "Now, if I were you two, I'd get ready for bed, and climb into bed. It will be a very eventful day tomorrow." He watched as the two just nodded and started to prepare for bed. He knew what was coming. Rich and Yvette were about to have a major change in their lives, but it was coming much sooner than either would have guessed. 

Darrett sat with Monet on the couch in the lounge. Heading off campus was not allowed since their company had arrived. While they were being shown to their rooms, Monet had lead him to the lounge. He wasn't exactly sure how a first date was suppose to go, but something in him told him that this wasn't exactly it. As they sat there, Monet said to him, "You know Darrett, I've admired you since you arrived here. There is something about you that appeals to me." 

He didn't know what to say. Deep down, he didn't know what it could be. He wasn't totally attracted to Monet. He decided it might be best to find out. He just said, "What might that be?" 

She gave a giggle and moved closer to him. He started to feel a bit unconfortable due to her proximity. He thought that she seemed a little too close for a first date. She looked into his eyes and said, "Everything. You're handsome, strong, smart, and have one cool ability." 

When she said that, he knew for a moment who was talking. He was sure of it. He started to back away. "You're not Monet, you're Claudette." The thought bothered him greatly. 

The more he tried to back away, she got closer. "How can you say I'm not Monet?" She was so close now, that their lips almost touched. 

As he tried to back up some more, he fell off the couch and onto the floor. It wasn't long before she had him pinned down. He just said, "Monet wouldn't act so aggressive. She's more passive, and more attractive." 

He noticed that the face on 'Monet' changed as she said, "Figures you'd be the one who could tell the difference between us, but I doubt you have the strength to stop me." She was right, since if he tried to summon something strong enough to stop her, it might rebel. However he didn't need to. He noticed that she seemed to freeze. She was in one of her states. Did that mean that Monet was trying to assert control. 

His thoughts were cut short as he heard running. He glance at the door as Sean appeared with Emma, and the two other teachers from the other school. His first words were those of shock. "What the hell happened 'ere?" 

Darrett just said, "Could you please help me up. I think Claudette tried to take advantage of me." 

As they all came over to help get 'Monet' off of him, he heard Emma say, "You mean Claudette was in control all this time." He nodded, as she continued, "So, we might have two opposites in Monet after all." 

Sean just said, "That ain't good." Darrett felt he could agree with that. 

He then heard the male teacher from the other school saying, "How bad could it be?" 

When he could finally get up, he heard Sean say, "John, do ye remember when we encountered that Trance fellow and he teamed up with Emplate." As he watched the other teacher nodded, Sean said, "Well, if Monet hates Emplate, and Claudette is the opposite of Monet.." 

Darrett felt he could finish the though, "Claudette will do anything to help Emplate." He watched as Sean and Emma nodded and then said, "Which would mean that Claudette would do anything she could if she felt it helped Emplate." The thought sickened him. 

He heard Emma say, "It's too late to call her father, but I think for right now, we might want to restrain her in the med center and tell all the rest about this. This might be a big problem if Darrett's right." He started to hope he was wrong. 

John Lynch remember his first encounter with Emplate when his students and Sean's students first met. Now he was strugling to lift up the form of Monet. Even Anna, his robotic helper, had problems lifting the member of Sean Cassidy's students named Monet. "Is she always this difficult to move?" 

Sean stood up and said, "When the lass is like this, she's almost impossible to move?" He watched as Sean turned to the boy who had been pinned by Monet and said, "Darrett, do ye think you could get us a little help?" 

He have expected the boy to leave the room, but heard something coming their way. He heard the boy say, "Hope this thing can lift her." John had seen some strange things in his career, but nothing could prepare him for what he was about to see. He almost reacted to the beast that entered as if it would attack, but the beetle-like creature approached Monet and picked her up. 

John looked at it and said, "What is that thing?" He had never seen anything like that before, but he didn't wholy trust it. 

The boy just said, "It's called a Garthim. I saw it in one of Rich's movies." John had remembering meeting all of Sean's students, or so he thought. As the student moved forward, following the creature, he and Anna stayed with Sean and Emma. 

He said to Sean, "I take it Darrett is new to the school as well as this Rich fellow." 

Sean nodded and said, "Well, ye didn't meet all of our student the last time we met. We have a boy named Mondo, as well as a lass named Yvette. I adopted her and made her my daughter recently." 

He then heard Emma say, "And we have three new students, Darrett being the latest. There is Daria, and Richard." 

He had remembered the boy named Darrett mentioning Rich's name. "Is Rich the boy's only name?" 

Sean just said, "No, his full name is Richard Cale, Jr. Ye might meet him a few days from now." The name range a bell to him, but he couldn't place it right away. 

He then heard Anna say, "You mean the son of the head of Paladin Technologies. Would we be correct in assuming he is a mutant?" He placed the name right away. 

He stopped Sean and Emma and said, "Let me get this straight. One of your students is Richard Cale, Jr. Then we aren't going to have a relaxing visit." 

He noticed the look on Sean's face. It had a good trace of worry in it. "What is it?" 

He had to tell Sean this news. He had just heard it himself, before they left to visit the school. "Not to long before we left for here, I got a call telling me that Trance was spotted and almost caught, however he escaped. As he got away, he said that he was going to help an old friend capture the son of the president of Paladin Technologies. That was one of the records that Trance had broken into." 

He heard Emma say, "This Trance and Emplate working together. Sean, they'll be after both Rich and Penance." He was almost puzzled by this when Emma said, "That is Yvette's codename. She's been the main target of attacks Emplate has made on the school. I'll summon the kids together, I just hope it doesn't get worse." He wondered how it could get worse, then though it would be better not to ask. 

Paige and the others were busy showing Caitlin, Roxy and Sarah to their rooms. Each girl was getting a room in the girls dorm. As they were telling them where everyone would be staying, she saw Roxy stopped at one door in particular. The girl just said, "Who's room is this?" 

Jubilee was first to answer. "That's Penny's room. She's been at the school for a long time, the only reason you didn't meet her last time was that she was a lot different. Her mutant gift wasn't easy to hide back then." 

Caitlin just asked the simple question. "What is her ability?" 

It was a simple question and Paige thought it was only right to give them and answer. "Well, Yvette, or as some of us call her, Penny, can make her skin so sharp that she can cut even the hardest material. Also, her skin can absorb light if she makes it tense enough." 

She heard Sarah say, "But she's controlled this?" As she nodded, she then heard Sarah say, "I bet she's cute." Paige knew what the member of the group called Gen 13 was thinking. 

She then heard Daria say, "Well, you have two problems on what your thinking. One is that she not here, she's in England right now, and two, she's with her boyfriend." She saw the disappointed look cross Sarah's face. 

Paige watched as Caitlin said, "Will we see them tonight?" Paige wondered how she was suppose to answer that question. She figured it might seen unusual for two students to be alone, someplace that none of them knew where. 

She figured she better answer the question. "No. Yuh see, Yvette and her boyfriend are away from the school right now, and probably won't be back until the day after tomorrow." 

Roxy had spoken the question she didn't know how to properly answer. "Why are they gone, and are they alone?" 

Jubilee immediately answered the question, "Well, Rich, who is Penny's boyfriend, had to leave since his parents were killed, due to some family tradition. Penny went with him, for moral support, but they left about 5 days ago." 

Before any of them could ask another question, Paige heard Emma's voice in her head. [Students, we need everyone down in the med center. This is an emergency situation.] 

This worried Paige, but she just said, "We all have to get to the med center, and something tells me that it means all of us." She watched as everyone nodded and they all ran out of the girl's dorm. 

Jono saw as the girls had run into the main building. He and the other guys had just come out of the guy's dorm. It was not a good sign when Emma felt the need to psionically summon all of them. He heard Bobby say, "What's going on?" 

Jono just said, Let's just say that there is major trouble afoot.> He had to admit that Bobby's ability to manifest flames was like his own, however the boy never lost his body in the process. Jono envied that small fact. 

As they entered the building, Grunge said, "So, do you think it might be that Emplate fellow again." 

He heard Angelo say, "I'd bet 20 bucks it is Emplate." Jono wouldn't take that bet. Usually a matter of this urgency meant Emplate. 

As they made their way down the hall, he heard Everett say, "Don't take him up on that bet. He's probably right." Jono felt like he should have nodded in agreement, but they were soon at the med lab. 

When they entered, he was surprised at what he saw, and he wasn't the only one. He heard Mondo ask the question that was on his mind. "Why is Monet strapped down onto the table?" 

He watched as Sean said, "Cause, for right now, we don't know if it will be Monet when she comes to, or Claudette, and that's the problem." 

Jono was not alone in noticing the odd habits that Monet had picked up and he said, Sean, you mean Monet might be a regular split personality?> 

Emma answered the question by saying, "The closest we can figure is that Monet and Claudette are both in there, and Claudette wants to cause havoc. She had Darrett pinned to the floor. She almost an exact opposite of Monet, which means..." 

He heard Angelo say, "Emplate is coming soon." 

He then heard Jubilee in her sarcastic way say, "Thank you, Captain Obvious. We can handle Emplate and Aura." 

Jono then realized something. Sean, Emplate won't attack us tomorrow.> It was one thing he felt he could count on. 

He watch as Sean said, "Right Jono, cause if what we think is right, during this little spell, Claudette is probably telling Emplate about when Rich and Yvette will return. That's when he try his attack." 

Jono watched as Caitlin said, "Mr. Lynch, why are we in on this?" He had wondered about that as well. 

He watched as the man with a scar over his eye said, "Simple, Emplate has a familiar ally on his side. Trance." He listen as all of the Gen 13 team gasped. The man then said, "And from what Sean told me about Aura, we might have our work cut out for us." 

He noticed as Daria just stood quiet and said, "Sean, I just had a though that might be bad or good. I'm not sure." 

Jono think he knew what Daria was talking about. He just said, Daria, your not thinking about Soundwave, are you?> She nodded, and he immediately said, He's a lunatic. He'll kill us just to get to Rich.> 

Daria then said, "But, I think he'll have to fight Emplate first. Remember the two have different agendas. They might end up weakening each other." 

He watched Sean shake his head. "No lass, that is a terrible risk. Mr. Lynch and I have discussed it. Tomorrow, we will all train for the attack. Emma will try and find out the truth about Monet and Cluadette, and hopefully, we will only have to deal with Emplate, Trance and Aura." He nodded with that though. They were going to be busy, until Rich and Yvette were safe back at the school. 

Emplate sat in his chair as his guests had finally arrived. It had taken some time for them to get there, but it was worth the wait. As his guests entered the room, he stood and said, "It has been a long time, Trance." 

The langly man nodded and said, "So it has. I did some research on your quarry, this Richard Cale, and found some interesting facts about his family." 

Emplate stopped Trance in mid sentance. "I know that his parents are dead, and that he is out of the country right now. We have to strike before he arrives back, on the day of his arrival. I think that some of your groups abilities might help in his capture." 

He noticed that Trance glance over his should and said, "And who is that?" He knew who Trance was talking about. He motioned Elane forward. 

As she stepped up, he heard her say, "All you need to know is that I'm Aura, and I'm by Emplate's side." 

He then said, "Aura would also like to see Richard suffer at my hands." He then said, "Besides, your part in this maybe more so than I had expected." 

He watched as Trance raised an eyebrow and said, "Why is that?" 

Emplate just said, "Your foes, that Gen 13 group, are visiting, but, I'm sure my beloved will give them a surprise." He saw Trance smile at that. He then said, "We must plan our attack. If all goes well, we might both have a trophy to our names." The two laughed in unison as they went to plan their attack. 


	52. Unexpected Developments

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Tradition 

Unexpected Developments 

Rich awoke to a pleasent feeling. Yvette had seen fit to wake him with kisses down his neck. He turned to face her, only to receive the next one right on his lips. As she was kissing him, he said in their mind link, {Why such a nice wake up call this morning?} 

He saw Yvette smile as she said, {Well, we soon go back to the school, and our week here is almost over.} He noticed her quiet giggle, and then noticed that she was ready for the day. 

He sat up and and said, "What time is it?" He was a little concerned, thinking that he might have over slept, although they had both retired before midnight. 

Yvette just said, "It's about 8:00. The phone rang not to long ago. The man said he was your family lawyer." He was surprised that a lawyer would call this early, and was more surprised that they knew to call today. 

As he got out of bed, he said, "What did he say?" He figured it would be about what he was inheriting, other than this title of Paladin. 

Yvette just stood and said, "Well, he said that he wanted to see us at a place called Millstone Manor. He also asked if I was your wife." He liked that though. It might be a few years until they could get married, but Rich loved the idea of having Yvette as his wife. 

As Rich started to get ready for the day, he just said, "I guess that was an understandable question. I guess if our fellow classmates didn't know better, they'd think we were husband and wife." As he went to enter the bathroom, he stopped and said, "Yvette, how are we to get to Millstone Manor, and when do we have to be there?" 

She just said, "The lawyer said he'd have some of the staff pick us up. He said that they would be arriving in about an hour." 

Rich realized that it didn't give him much time to get ready. He said, "Alright, I'll be ready in a half hour." He then closed the door to the bathroom. He wondered why so early, then decided that it would be best. He wanted to call the school, and Cartier St. Croix. The latter had some questions to be answer, where the former needed to be aware of their return.

* * *

Yvette walked the hallway outside the bedroom. She had wondered how life must have been in this castle. She figured Grimore would know, but she didn't want to bother the cat. Soon, she heard Rich say in their mind link, {How do I look?} 

She turned to see him dressed rather elegantly. She walked over to him and kissed him. {You look like a million dollars.} She really liked how he looked in the outfit he wore. 

He smiled and kissed her. {Well, I thought I had to match how nice you looked.} She had forgotten that she put on her nicest dress for the occasion. 

She put her hand in his and said, "I think our ride will soon be arriving." It was true. She figured that their ride might arrive at about 9:00 AM and it was quarter of. As they walked down to the main hall, she wondered about all they had learned and said, "Rich, what do you think about the situation, how this new title will affect the team?" 

She noticed the thoughtful look on his face. "I don't know. I figure that it might put an great strain on the team, plus learning about Claudette. I hope it doesn't tear the team apart." She could understand that. She couldn't believe that all the attacks by Emplate could have been Monet's fault for not controlling her sister. 

She heard a car horn honk, and came out of her thoughts. "That's our ride." As they stepped outside, they saw an old black car standing there. She wondered if the car was safe. 

She was almost started when the man behind the wheel said, "Hello, Master Cale. I'm sorry about the condition of the car, but it is still road worthy. Mr. Thrope asked me come out and pick you up." She noticed that the man looked and sounded familiar. 

She then heard a soft voice say, "I don't trust that car." She looked to her side to see Grimore standing at their side. She watched as Rich picked the cat up and enter the car. She followed and soon, the driver started the car. 

As they started to move, she heard Rich say, "Excuse me sir, but is your last name wouldn't be Rumbold, would it?" She then recognized the face. He was a dead ringer for the character on the british show, 'Are You Being Served?'. 

The man just laughed and said, "Yes, that was me Mr. Smith was portraying. It was quite enjoyable, especially when they did Grace and Favour." She sat back in the seat and admired the countryside. It was a lovely section of the country. 

She heard Rich say, {You know, if the school ever needs to move, maybe we can all stay at the castle.} As he said it, she felt him put his arm around her. She had to admit, the countryside, the castle, all had an air of romance about it. She honestly didn't want to leave. 

* * *

For hours, Monet had been struggling with her sister, in their mind. It was clear that Claudette was getting stronger. Before, she had very little difficulting holding her sister back, but now, it was getting harder and harder. She managed to stop Claudette before she did something they both would regret. As the two struggled, she noticed that Claudette had done what she usually did during these bouts. [You contacted him again.] 

Her sister spoke with a venomous tone. [You're right about that. You don't understand what it's all about, dear sister. Marius understood things better than you ever would.] 

As they continued to struggle, Monet just said, [He's power mad, especially with that cursed ability of his.] Monet always believe that it was the madness of the hunger that drove him. 

She heard Claudette laugh at her. [His hunger can be countered by us. He strives for the ultimate power, and a book he cannot find. With all our minds together, we could control the universe.] Her sister was mad, and this much was obvious. 

Monet noticed a cage appear behind her. She knew what Claudette was planning, and no doubt this cage would be stronger than the mental cage she made to hold her sister. She faced her sister and said, [I won't let you put me in there.] 

As the struggle continued, she felt Claudette pushing her toward the cage. Her sister just smiled and said, [Like you have a choice.] Monet needed help for this battle, but who would help her, and believe her. 

* * *

Rich sat there with Yvette as the lawyer continued going over all the legal issue that they had to deal with. Eventually, the lawyer said, "Now, as you probably know, the castle is yours, as well as any property that your parents owned." 

Rich nodded and said, "I kind of figured that, since I was the only child." If one thing got on Rich's nerves, it was lawyers. Rich always figured that lawyers were con men. He then said, "So what does that boil down to, Mr. Thorpe?" 

The lawyer looked over all the papers he had brought with him and said, "Well, as you are most likely aware by this point, you now hold the title of Lord, which has been in your family for a very long time. With that title comes one of England's oldest titles, that of the Paladin." 

Rich was started when he heard that. He leaned forward and said, "That title is one of the oldest in England?" 

The lawyer looked at him and said, "Yes. It still holds some mysterious meaning to this day, which I'm sure you will discover, if you haven't already. You also inherit your family's company, Paladin Technologies, as well as all property that they own." 

Rich looked at the lawyer and said, "So in short, I own everything that my parents owned." Rich figured that much would happen. In fact, both he and Yvette knew that would be the case, especially with what Grimore had been telling them. 

The lawyer then pulled a second set of papers and said, "Now that that much is taken care of, we have one last issue to take care of." 

Rich was puzzled by this. He hadn't expect there to be more. He just leaned forward, and noticed Yvette doing the same, and said, "What is left to do?" 

The lawyer just put the papers on the table and said, "I guess your not aware of the full part of your families tradition. You see, back in the old days, when knight fought in battles, and with you families title, it was no different, many knights died. Since your family was aware of what could happen, it was decided and made law that if the new Lord Cale was not married, the lady that accompanied him would be his wife." 

Rich felt like he was in shock, mainly due to the instantanousness of it all. He noticed a look of shock on Yvette's face, but mixed in it was a look of happiness. She managed to get a few words out. "You mean to say that we are now married?" 

The lawyer just nodded and said, "From this moment on, you are husband and wife. It's been a legal issue since around 1000 A.D. Although, I think this is the youngest bride we've had on record." 

Rich was of mixed emotions on the issue. He was stunned at the suddenness of it all. He was overjoyed at the idea of him and Yvette together for the rest of their lives. He was also scared at what the others at the school would think. In his mind, he head Yvette say, {I just thought of that too.} 

Rich looked at the lawyer and said, "Pardon me for asking this, but when was the last time my family had to do this tradition?" He then said mentally to Yvette, {My love, I had been considering proposing to you earlier this week. In fact, I was going to do that today.} 

He heard her say {I would have accepted, but now, it's like its been decided for us.} He then remembered what Grimore had said to him earlier that week. 

He then heard the lawyer say, "The last this happened was at the turn of this century. This was always done to assure that the bloodline would continue. According to history of your family, every Cale has seemed destine to meet their mate before they become the head of the family." He watched as the lawyer started to get up. 

Rich stood, as well as Yvette, and said, "Mr. Thorpe, how will this be handled, I mean with Yvette's father." It was Sean's reaction that worried him the most. 

Yvette seemed to share the concern as she said, "Rich is right. When we headed out here about a week ago, we said that we wouldn't do anything like getting married." 

The lawyer just said, "Well, I think you two should handle it. As for right now, I think you two should start getting ready to head home. I think you have to head back to the states tomorrow." 

Rich then remembered that they were heading back tomorrow. "You're right, our plane leaves in the morning." He turned to Yvette and said, "We have to head back to the castle and get ready for the flight back." She nodded and they left the manor. 

* * *

After the car drove away that had dropped them off at the castle, Yvette noticed the look on Rich's face. She took his hand and said, "Are you still worrying what the others will think? You couldn't have know that this was planned. The choice dates back many centuries." 

She knew that he knew she was right about that. "I know. It's just, I hoped that we would have time to plan a nice wedding. I also hoped to have an engagement period, but I think we might have had a hint on this." She noticed as he turned to face Grimore. 

She also turned to face the cat. She looked down and said, "You knew about this. Why didn't you tell us this would happen?" 

The cat twitched its tail and said, "I'm not sure how you two would handle it. I have seen mixed reactions to the idea of marriage. Back in 1576, your ancestor didn't want to get married, however he did. He was not to thrilled with the idea." 

Rich looked at the cat, and she could understand why he was upset, and somewhat understand why Grimore was reluctant to tell. "Grimore, did it ever occur to you that we might be happy with it, but there might be others not to thrilled with the idea, like Yvette's adopted father." 

Yvette just said, "I don't think he'll be to thrilled with this course of events." To be honest, she didn't know how he would react. 

Grimore just purred and said, "It is one of many things that you will have to sort out, but it might be best to tell him in person. Explain to him that this was a tradition you didn't know about, only because it was not a normal part of the tradition." 

She saw Rich nod as he said, "That might work. I just hope he doesn't overreact." Yvette nodded in agreement. She knew her 'father' had missed out on raising his natural daughter, and now he would miss out on some of those things again. 

Grimore then said, "Now, if I remember right, Richard, you have a tradition to preform right now." The cat then entered the door. She was somewhat puzzled by the statement Grimore said. 

Rich looked at her and smiled. "I think I know what he means right now." She was a bit puzzled until he picked her up in his arms. He then said in their mind link, {Tradition states that the groom carries the bride over the threshold.} He carried her into the castle. 

She wondered what it meant, but decided not to dwell on it. When they were in the door, she said, {Do you think this will change many things at school?} 

He nodded and said, {It will change things in our lives, and the school is where we live for the most part. Since we are husband and wife, we will have to start living together. It wouldn't seem right not to.} 

She kissed him and said, {That woundn't be so bad. I've been waiting for that day.} She knew deep down that he longed for that day as well. 

{I feel the same way, but where are we going to stay on campus?} She really hadn't thought about that much. She had figured they would remain at the school for most of their lives, but never thought about what they would do about living together. She then heard him say, {And what about my family's company. I'm not much into business.} 

She thought about that one and said, {Maybe Ms. Frost can help you. Maybe Paladin Technologies are on good terms with Frost Enterprises. And if your worried about your family's tradition, I think we can all handle it.} She gave him another kiss with that one. 

As he was returning the kiss, he said to her, {Yvette, you are a blessing for my life. I hope we have many wonderful years together.} She enjoyed this kiss the most, mainly because during this kiss, she thought time had stopped. When he finished kissing her, he finally spoke verbally and said, "Now, I believe we have two phone calls to make." She knew what he meant. First a call to Monet's father and then a call to the school. 

* * *

For a majority of the morning, Sean and Emma were trying to get in touch with Cartier St. Croix. The whole incident with Monet was what they wanted to find out about from him, but his line had been busy. As they waited to try again, Emma said, "Do you think he does know something?" 

Sean looked at his fellow teacher and nodded. "Aye Emma, I do think that he knows something that he isn't telling us. I just wish we could find out." He noticed a figure at the door. When he looked up, he saw Mr. Lynch, leader of Gen 13 standing there. 

His recent friend just said, "I don't know how ready they are going to be, but I hope that it's just Trance and Emplate. Now who was this Soundwave character." He remembered that lunatics name being mentioned at the meeting yesterday, but didn't want to mention it. 

Emma saw the discomfort on Sean's face and then said, "A few months ago, Soundwave attacked the school, seeking revenge against Rich. You see, Rich testified and sent Soundwave to prison." 

He watched as Mr. Lynch just said, "So he'd be working with Emplate?" 

Sean shook his head and said, "Not bloody likely, ye see, Emplate would prefer to have Rich and Yvette alive. Soundwave would rather see Rich as a corpse, and he has also views Yvette in the same way." 

He notice Mr. Lynch look of understanding as he said, "I think I know where you're coming from on that one, but his presence might tip the scales. The invaders will be fighting amongst themselves before they focus on us." 

Sean was about to offer and arguement when the phone rang. He pushed the speaker button and said, "Hello." 

He was startled when he heard who it was. "Sean, it's Richard. How is everyone?" 

Sean felt overjoied, but uneasy hearing his students voice. "Rich, everyone is fine. How are ye and Yvette doing?" He was worried about the two, especially with the two being alone for a week. 

He noticed the hesitation when Rich finally said, "We've have a very enlightening week here. I've learned a lot about my family, and their friends, one of which you know." 

Sean was puzzled by this when he asked, "Who do ye mean, lad?" 

He heard Rich answer, and also went into shock. "Cartier St. Croix. We just got off the phone with him. It appears that Monet and Claudette are like the proverbial good twin, bad twin. Apparently, long ago, Monet, Claudette and Emplate merged into a new entity. It took alot to seperated them, and Monet was suppose to hold Claudette in check. You may want to have Emma try and help Monet." 

He heard Emma say, "That would explain her recent actions. I'll get on it in a moment, however Rich, we have a few problems. One, the school needs funding." 

He heard Rich respond. "No problem. Paladin Technologies will be happy to help." He saw Emma breathe a sigh of relief. Rich then said, "I just hope you can help me learn about business. I did some research and apparently Paladin Technologies and Frost Enterprises are in two different areas, so I think it would be safe to have your help." 

Sean then said, "Problem Two, Emplate is planning to meet you at the school here. We think he is planning an attack, but we have some help." He heard Rich whispering to someone, which had to be Yvette. 

Rich finally said, "Ok, we'll be their sometime in the afternoon. I just hope he's gone by the time we get back." 

Sean shared that opinion whole heartedly. He had other questions, and then said, "So Lad, how did ye and Yvette manage that whole week?" 

He heard a new voice on the phone, that of Yvette's. "We had some ups and downs, plus a few surprises. We'll tell you tomorrow." Sean wondered what Yvette meant by that last statement. 

He was about to ask what she meant, but Rich spoke on the phone again. "Sean, we have to start getting ready for the trip back. I just hope that Emplate doesn't attack, for more reasons than Yvette's and my safety. Right now, make sure that Emma is helping Monet." The phone call ended and when Sean looked up, Emma was gone.

* * *

Emma ran as fast as she could to the med center. Now that they had a better idea of what was going on with Monet, it was almost imperative that she help Monet. When she arrived, she noticed that Monet was still, but the brainwave activity was almost off the scale. Apparently the battle was still going on. Emma quick formed a mental link and soon she saw the battle. The two twins appeared just like the form they inhabited, however each girls distinct personality was reflected by their dress. The one that looked more dignified was in trouble, and had to be Monet. The other reminded Emma of her darker days as a member of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle. As the two struggled before her, she heard Monet say, [I won't let you win, Claudette.] 

She heard the other laugh and say, [Face it sister, you're weak from repressing me. The second I get you in that cage, Marius gets all of Gen X on a silver platter.] Emma figured who Marius was. As she quietly came up behind Claudette, she heard the girl say, [And whoever gets in my way is going to die, just like that 'Hunter' creep who tried to kill Yvette and her lover.] Emma started to realize what happened back during that incident. Claudette delivered Hunter to Emplate, and would have done the same to Rich and Yvette. The maniac had to be stopped. 

When Emma got right behind Claudette, she saw Monet smile, and could see the relief in her eyes. She heard Monet said, [Don't think it's going to be easy to win this time, Claudette.] She watched as Monet manage to break the grip Claudette had on her and float of the way. 

Before Claudette could go to give chase, Emma gave a kick to the form of Claudette, sending the twin into the cage. She saw Claudette spin around and saw the anger in the childs eye. [YOU!!! You'll regret that.] 

Emma slammed the cage door shut and flew back from it. [Not likely Claudette.] Soon, another lock appeared on the cage door, and lastly a third. She turned and saw Monet right next to her. 

Monet looked at her with a look of mixed emotions. The girl then said, [I don't know what to say. I didn't want anyone to know about the real Claudette, but I couldn't repress her anymore. You probably saved everyone.] 

Emma just said, [It's alright. Nobody blames you for what Claudette did. It's just a good thing we found out before it was too late.] 

Monet looked at her and said, [How did you find out?] 

Emma wasn't exactly sure how to explain it. She liked to know how Rich found out about it. Apparently Monet kept this so well hidden that even Rich didn't know about how dangerous Claudette was. Emma just said, [We heard it from Rich. He called today. We just need to know how he knew. Right now, we need you to get ready. I figure that you already know that Emplate is planning an attack.] 

She saw Monet nod as she said, [I do. Claudette told him when Rich was coming back. I'm sorry. I should have told you about her before.] 

Emma just said, [Maybe, but I understand your reasons for not telling. Right now, we should get back to our physical selves and get ready for your brother's attack.] With that, Emma returned to her body. She went to get up and then remembered. 

As she went to undo the restraints, she head Monet say, "Emma, why was this done, or do I know why?" 

Emma figured the girl did know, but Emma felt it best to say, "We didn't know who would amerge from your little conflict. It was done as a precaution in case if was Claudette. She nearly attack Darrett." 

She saw the ashamed look on her face and figured that what Claudette had planned was not something Monet would have done. Monet then said, "That was when I tried to stop her. Miss Frost, I hate to tell you this, but if Claudette ever gets free, she might try to get revenge on you." 

The thought didn't phase her much, but she didn't want to admit that she had a bit of fear about that idea. Emma just said, "I saw the lock you put on, and I put a lock on that cage too, so whoever created it will have a difficult time openning it. Now, let's get to the grotto, and I'll call Sean and Mr. Lynch to join us." She saw Monet nod and they headed for the 'Danger Grotto.'

* * *

For most of the day, Jubilee and all the others were practicing for the upcoming attack. They knew it was coming, but they didn't know what all to expect. From their past encounter with Emplate and Trance, they knew about almost everyone's abilities, but would Emplate bring his hellions. This was one thing that Jubilee was thinking about. Another was the welfare of her boyfriend, Everett. As the whole group, Gen X and Gen 13, practiced and trained, she heard Emma enter and say, "Alright everyone, stop for a moment." Jubilee looked over and saw who was with Emma. Before Jubilee could even ask, she heard Emma say, "It looks like we have Monet back with us." 

Jubilee sighed and said, "Thank goodness. I was hoping we only had to find one of Monet's family. Monet, was is the deal with you and Claudette?" She could see Monet was uneasy about the question, but it needed to be asked. 

She could see Monet looked uncomfortable answering the question, but she said, "She is my direct opposite, and would rather see Emplate win. When my father was looking into a cure for Emplate's ability, Claudette ruined the attempts. It's difficult to keep her in check. Now, with Emma's help, she should be kept under control." 

Jubilee looked at Monet concerned. This was a major problem, just like when the X-men kept Sabertooth at the mansion. If one thing went wrong, disaster struck. She shuddered at remembering that heart stopping moment. She very rarely got scared like that. She then heard Caitlin say, "Monet, is it possible that your sister could take control during the battle." 

Jubilee wondered that too, but Emma said, "Monet and I managed to confine Claudette in Monet's mind." 

Jubilee knew what that meant. "In other words, you put her in a mental cage." She watched as both Emma and Monet nodded in agreement. 

It was Roxy who asked a very good question. "What would happen if Trance used his abilities on you? Could Claudette get free?" Jubilee knew what their answer was just by the looked that crossed their faces. 

She heard Jono say, _"That's not a sign of support."_

Everett then said, "Could this be any worse?" 

Jubilee started to pray inwardly for a positive sign that things would get better. She was surprised to see Sean standing at the door. Maybe it was good news. He teacher, however, just said, "It just got worse. The FBI just called. They saw Soundwave in the area. They're trying to track him down, but they warned us to be ready." 

Jubilee figured that the FBI thought Rich was on school grounds. She just said, "We must have bad luck right now. First Emplate, now Soundwave. It can't get much worse now." 

She heard Sarah say, "How bad is this Soundwave character?" 

She heard Mr. Lynch say, "From what Sean has told me, he uses music to do anything, and is very hellbent on killing the person who put him in prison." 

Jubilee turned when Paige said, "Which means he'll gladly cause us all injury just to kill Rich." 

Jubilee nodded. "And he's mentally sick. Soundwave made me think I was being attacked by all the beings that have it out for me. He turned Paige into a human doll. Turned Angelo into the human spider web." 

Monet then said, "And worse." Jubilee looked at Monet and saw the scared look on her face. Before she could say anything, Monet said, "He was about to...." 

Everyone was in shock. Emma just said, "He didn't, did he?" 

Jubilee was horrified when Monet shook her head and said, "No, cause Claudette told him where Rich and Yvette were." 

Emma then said, "Maybe your sister did something good after all. I think if I was in the same case, I would have done the same. I don't think any of us could fault you there." 

Jubilee nodded and said, "Emma's right. I think any of us ladies would have done the same." She was sure she would under the same circumstances. Jubilee then said, "I wonder if would have actually done it. All of what he did was more to get their location the last time." 

Monet just shuddered and said, "I saw it in his eyes." Jubilee then realized that the madman known as Soundwave was worse than Emplate. This was not going to go well at all. 

* * *

Davis Skinur looked carefully as he ventured into the local music store. He had seen a few FBI agents around, and they were looking for him. It had taken him some time, but he got his sound device back together. He traveled to the town of Snow Valley at just the right time. He heard that Rich's parents had been murdered, and knew that Rich would be out of town for a few days. He figured Rich would be back soon, and when Rich returned, Davis was going to pay Rich back for send him to jail. He looked through all the CD's and found the perfect ones to stop Gen X. He smiled as he looked at the one. He figured he could use that one on that stuck up girl with the split personality. He had one of his favorite tapes in his device and opened the CD holders. He slipped the CD's into a pocket on his jacket, and then headed for the door. As he headed out, he heard the clerk say, "Hey, you have to pay for those CD's you put in your pocket." 

Davis turned and faced the man. Right now, he didn't need to be stopped from his goal. He looked the guy in the eye and said, "But you already rang me out, don't you remember?" He manipulate the register to show that he had been rung through. 

The clerk just looked at the register and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I did forget." Davis smiled and left. He was ready for his revenge now. He quickly went down a back alley and started to load his device. He had chosen a nice variety, and hoped for a nice variety of effects. He smiled inwardly as he thought of some of effects he would cause. 

As he got up, he heard a click of a gun. He then heard a female voice say, "Alright Skinur, hands up, and don't start that device up." She didn't realize that he had a walkman on, and it was conceiled. He turned and smiled. She looked at him in fear. She started to step back as she said, "Oh no. I didn't think of that." 

Skinur just said, "No you didn't, did you. Typical blond." Although the girl wasn't blond, she started to act as the often joked about airhead blond. He had kicked the music up so that she could hear it. He then said, "And to think that that hairspray would stop me." He watched as she looked at her gun, and he could tell she thought it was hairspray. He then said the next words, "And your hair is a mess. Maybe you should straighten it up." He watched as she went to act like she was going to spray hairspray on her hair. 

He turned and started to walk away. He activated his device and started to play a CD by Queen. As the one song started, he heard the FBI agent say, "Oh my God, what am I ..." A loud bang followed, and the sound of the agent hitting the ground. Davis smiled and disappeared into the night. 


	53. Deadly Alliance

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening. 

==================================================== 

Tradition 

Deadly Alliance 

Angelo sat at the security console for part of the evening. He had been assigned to watch out for any signs of anyone arriving. He didn't want to believe it was going to be this bad, but with what they heard on the news, it was. An FBI agent in town was found dead, an apparent self-inflicted shot to her head. It was near a local music store, which was enough for everyone to realize it was Soundwave's work. As he watched the monitors, he heard someone come in. He turned to find himself facing Rainmaker. He though she was a knockout, but he also knew she prefered women. As she sat down at the console, she said, "It might turn next. Do you think you could tell me who to look out for?" 

Angelo just said, "Look for any lunatic wearing a stereo store. That's Soundwave." It was the truth, and the best way to describe what to look for. 

Rainmaker just said to him, "Skin, from what everyone said, he sounds dangerous, but can he make someone commit suicide?" 

Angelo didn't know how exactly to put it. He thought back on it and said, "Soundwave can do anything. He made Jubilee think she was being attacked by everyone who would like to see her dead, and she felt every blow, and everything that she thought they were doing to her. If Synch hadn't found her, she would have had experence alot worse and might have died. When he finally found Skitz and Penance, they were running through the locker rooms, through the showers and almost to the pool. He made the curtains constrict around them. If it werent for Banshee and Chamber, they would have been dead." 

He heard Rainmaker ask the question he had been wondering. "Do you think this will effect the school in the news?" 

He had been wondering about that and then said, "No, I think many people thing he's just passing through. No one knows about Rich's testimony in that case. Signal the alarm if you seen him, it might be enough to stun him for abit." Before she could even ask, he said, "He hates noise. It nullifies his abilities." He watched as she nodded and he left the room. This was going to be a very rough day until this was handled. 

* * *

Elane was not thrilled by what she heard on the radio she kept. All of Emplate's plans were about to come tumbling down if they didn't act quick. She headed off to Emplate's room, where he was discussing the plans for the battle. Although she had missed the evening news on the radio, she caught the early morning news. She entered Emplate's room and bluntly said, "We have a problem." 

She saw the way he looked at her when she said that and could tell he wasn't thrilled. "What sort of problem?" 

She sat down and said, "Soundwave is in town. I heard that Soundwave was a mutant that Rich testified against a few years back. He swore vengence, along the lines of killing Rich. No doubt he plans to attack the school and be waiting for Rich's return." 

She watched as Emplate stood up. "This complicates things more so than they are. Richard and Yvette are useless to me if they are dead." 

She heard Trance say, "Couldn't we ask for his help? He might have some tricks we can use to our benifit." 

She shook her head. "No, he's hellbent on killing Rich. A bit unstable, too. He says he does it for his employer, Big Blue." 

She saw Emplate stop for a moment and then said, "I know of no such being named Big Blue, but I think that could be used to describe someone." Elane wondered if Big Blue did exist, and if so, who was it? 

She walked over to Emplate and whispered in his ear very softly, "Is that important to know who it is, or is it important to capture and ruin Rich's life?" She saw him look at her with that look that told her how much he loved the evil in her. 

"You're right Elane. If we are to capture Rich and Yvette, we have to act quickly. Trance, get your followers together, and I shall get mine ready." She watched as Trance left and then Emplate said to her, "Although I would like to know who wants to see Rich dead. If I could persuade them to let me capture and control Rich, maybe we might have a more powerful ally, or control this 'Big Blue'." 

Elane took Emplate's hand and said, "I just love when you come up with something really devilish. If all goes well, we might be able to celebrate." 

When she placed Emplate's hands on her, she saw the look in his eyes, and was delighted to here, "We might just celebrate even if we don't succeed." She was going to look forward to that. 

* * *

Everett walked into the war room, and like himself, it was obvious that nobody got a decent nights sleep. They didn't know when the attack would start, but they all knew it would start. He walked over to Jubilee and asked, "Nothing yet?" 

She looked at him and he could tell she was worried about him. "Nope, hopefully there will be nothing, but that's wishful thinking." 

Everett understood her feelings, especially when he saw her after what Soundwave did to her. It had scared him to see her in that state. He took her hand and said, "Jubes, I won't let that happen to you again." He could tell that it made he feel abit better. 

Everett head someone enter the room. He knew who it was when Banshee said, "Anything?" 

Darrett, who had been in charge of the computer, said, "Nothing, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there." That was when it happened. The main door came crashing down. Darrett just looked at it and said, "Banshee, I think they knocked too hard on the door." Everett could tell what he meant. Both Emplate's and Trance's strong men stood at the door. Soon the two groups were heading in. 

He heard Mr. Lynch say, "How did they get by the cameras." 

Paige looked at the screen and said, "Aura. She must have cloaked them all. I owe her for the first time she attacked." He could understand that to a degree. Aura had severly beaten up Paige on the first encounter. 

Emma just said, "Alright, let try and end this one quick. No doubt that Soundwave is on his way." 

Before everyone could get out of the room, Darrett said, "Too late. He followed Emplate in. I think we might have a big problem." He saw it right on the screen. Emplate and Soundwave were going to be going at each others throats.

* * *

Emplate looked at the figure now floating before him. He had music playing from the device he wore, and Emplate figured out who this mutant was. "Soundwave, I presume." He saw all his Hellions preping for a fight, but he was more concerned on the attack by Gen X. He figured they would come running soon, but maybe Gen X would keep Soundwave preoccupied. 

He watched as Soundwave looked at him. Their was look of hatred in his eyes as he said, "You must be Emplate. You must be nuts if you think I'll let my quarry live." 

Trance just softly said, "I might be able to subdue him." Emplate thought about that, but he'd rather not subdue this individual right now. 

Emplate looked up at Soundwave and said, "Listen, I have you outnumbered, but if we work together, we might be able to defeat Gen X and their friends." He looked over to the one door and saw all of Gen X, as well as Gen 13, entering the room. 

He heard Banshee say, "I do nae think we will have that chance, Emplate." Emplate noticed that Soundwave looked in fear and Banshee, and realized that to Soundwave, Banshee was the most threatening. 

Emplate looked at Trance and said, "Care to do your thing, Trance?" He watched as Trance looked in Banshee's direction and the head of Gen X started to strike at Gen X. "As you can see, Soundwave, right now, we would be better off as allies. Fight me, and Banshee yells." 

He saw Soundwave smile and say, "Fine. But let me thank your friend for his troubles. Judging by the other group, I think they know him, and he fancys one of them." Emplate watched as Soundwave caused the girl know as Caitlin to rise up. He actually brought her over to him. 

Emplate watched as Trance said, "He does have good taste. However, I don't think you can improve on her perfection." 

Emplate watched as Monet started to fly at him. Almost instantainously, Elane held up her hand, pushing Monet back to the wall. "Don't try it Monet. I'm not letting you stop this. I might go as far as squashing you to death." Emplate gave her a stern look. While he wouldn't mind seeing Monet dead, Claudette had to live. 

The rest of his Hellions, as well as Trance's followers were fighting the rest of two groups. Emplate turned back to Soundwave and said, "As you can see, we work together, we will succeed." He then noticed that Caitlin's outfit was glowing. 

Soundwave said, "I'll agree to a truce for now, but once we have Rich, I want him dead. If you kill him and give me the corpse, I'll leave you be. Double cross me, and you'll be sorry. Also, if your friend their keeps the loudmouth shut, I'll let him have this beauty like this." He watched as Caitlin's outfit changed to that of a harim girl from the days of old. 

He saw the look that Trance gave Caitlin. "That is a good incentive." 

Emplate then saw something in Soundwave. He looked at the mutant and said, "I take it you fancy my sister." He didn't believe that Soundwave liked her, but the mutant had been incarcerated. 

Soundwave smiled and said, "In a way. Let's just say that she needs to be knocked off her high and mighty pedastal." Emplate could agree with that. In fact, he'd like to see Monet humiliated. 

He watched as the Gen 13 member codenamed Burnout flew toward Soundwave. In an instant, a high powered stream of foam shout from Soundwave's had, taking out a wall. It was pushing Burnout away from the school. Emplate just said, "Keep that up, and when we win, Monet will be yours." He laughed as he saw the fright on Monet's face. He was going to enjoy this victory.

* * *

As Rich pulled his car up to the entry of the school, he didn't like what he saw. The door was wrecked to the main hall. He put his hand on his wife's hand and said, "It looks like Emplate stormed the place." 

He could tell how scared she was when she said, "Do you think he's still here?" 

He didn't know how to answer, until he saw a figure flying out propelled by a stream of foam. "He is," was all he said. He jumped out of the car and ran to the figure. He didn't recognize who it was, but something told him it was one of the good guys. When he reached the figure, he said, "Are you alright?" 

The guy stood up and said, "Yea." When the man looked at him and Yvette, he just said, "Let me guess, your Richard Cale, and that is Yvette. You're timing couldn't be worse." 

Rich didn't want to worry about introductions at that point. He didn't like the sound of what the guy said. "What do you mean by that?" He knew Emplate was there, but what could be worse. 

The guy just said, "Some dude named Soundave." Rich felt his blood run cold. He didn't need that right now. 

Yvette just said, "Oh no. Rich, he'll try and kill you." He knew what she was afraid of. Then he had an idea. 

He turned back to boy and said, "Get back in there, and tell no one that we are here. If this works, we might win this one." He saw the boy nod and ran back to the building. 

Yvette came up to his side and said, "What do you have planned?" 

He looked at her and smiled. "We use the vents, and get the drop on everyone." She smiled. He could tell she liked that idea. 

Rich was surprise when Grimore spoke. "A small suggestion. You may want to take the sword. It might be enough to scare Marius away." He knew who Grimore meant by Marius, but didn't comprehend the meaning of the sword. But he wasn't going to question it. They needed to help their teammates. 

He and Yvette ran to the entrance, and to the nearest vent. As they quietly made their way through the vents, they heard the battle. Soon enough they were over the battle, and it was apparent that Emplate and Soundwave have teamed up and were winning. Rich didn't recognize the third figure, but he could tell the langly man had some sort of power. He motioned for Yvette to pass him. He then said in their mind link, {When I give the signal, cut the vent and it should knock out Aura.} 

He heard Yvette respond {Understood. You know, this is not what I figured my first day as a wife would be like.} 

He smiled and said, {I figured the same thing.} She laughed in their mind link and then he said, {Ok, here we go.} He quietly openned the vent and saw his target below him. Hovering below his current location was Soundwave, who was about to have a very rude wake up.

* * *

Emma didn't like how the battle was going. In fact, she was dead scared that they were going to lose. When Burnout came back, she felt like he had gotten a second wind, but he didn't last too long. Emma was about to tell them all to retreat when she saw it. The vent over Soundwave had openned up. She couldn't figure out why, and then it hit her. Rich and Yvette were back, and must have suspected to attack was going on. Soon, she saw a figure drop from the vent, and grab on to Soundwave. The added weight caused him to loose his concentration, and Caitlin fell to the ground. She heard Soundwave shouting, "Whoever you are, you're dead." 

Then the music stopped, and Soundwave hit the floor unconscious. She saw Skitz standing there with claws out. He had Yvette's ability. She heard Aura say, "This is the end for you cous.." She then saw where Yvette was hiding, as the bottom of the vent came crashing down into Aura, knocking her unconscious. That meant too many left to fight. 

She shouted out, "Watch out. We're outnumbered." She didn't want to make them give up, but she wanted them to run. 

She heard Emplate say, "Yes Skitz, and you too, Penance. It's all over. Hand yourselves over, and you friends are spared." She knew that they might just do that, forfeit their safety for their teammates. 

That was when Emma saw one of the most unbelievable sights. She watched as Rich pulled out a sword. She didn't know where he got it, but it burst into flames as he heald it, and she saw genuine fear in Emplate's eyes. She heard Rich say, "I have a better idea, take all your cronies and leave." She saw that the two's eyes had locked, and eventually, one appeared to step back. 

She saw Emplate gather all his minions and said, "You've won this round. I don't know how you found that, but you won't last long. You can't have that item with you all the time." She realized that Emplate feared that sword. As his entourage disappeared, all that remainded was Soundwave, and everyone else. 

Sean just shook his head and said, "What happened?" Emma knew Sean had been out of it, but this probably would have blown his mind. 

Emma just said, "Rich and Yvette are back, and scared Emplate off." She noticed that Sean saw the glowing sword. The fire had almost died down. 

As they all walked over to Rich, he just said, "Sean, Yvette and I need to talk to you and Emma." She could tell that their was a dead seriousness in his voice, something she didn't hear often in Rich's voice. Then she noticed something. She didn't know what to say, but maybe what she saw had to do with what the two wanted to talk about. 

Emma just said, "Alright, Mr. Lynch, could you make sure Soundwave makes it to protective custody." When she turned to looked of Soundwave, she saw him disappear. She saw the walkman on him, and knew that he had planned for such an occurance. "Never mind." At that, she and Sean headed to her office with Rich and Yvette. 

* * *

Sean sat back in his chair, almost flabbergaster. "Rich, ye mean to tell me that...." He still couldn't believe it. When Rich and Yvette told him, he thought they were joking, but the rings told him they were serious. 

Rich just sat on the couch with Yvette and said, "Yes, apparently it's been a tradition, but never came up much. I didn't expect this so soon either. We both figured on a few years of being engaged." 

He heard Emma say, "I take it we'll have to accomedate this." When Rich nodded, she said, "And this library, how we accomodate that." 

Yvette said to them, "Rich has been thinking about that, but he also said that if the need arises, the school could relocate to his family castle." That was something good to hear. He was still mixed emotions on the matter. 

He could tell that Rich noticed that when he said, "Sean, I know this is upsetting to you, but I had no idea about this." Sean could tell that Rich was telling the truth about that. Besides, it wasn't Rich's nature to decieve them. 

Sean sighed and said, "I know. I was kind of hoping to see a wedding, but it would be just for show now, wouldn't it." Rich nodded and Sean continued, "So we now have to accomodate you two together. Maybe one of the attics can be remodeled, but how will this affect the rest of the team." 

Yvette just said, "Maybe they will handle it better. They probably figured we'd get married someday." He had to agree with that. 

Now came the next issue, "I take it yur cat will be staying." When Rich nodded, he could tell that there was no arguement to be started. He said, "Well, maybe it might be a good thing. You know Rich, Yvette, I didn't know how much this would affect the team, but I don't think I could have expected this." 

Rich smiled and said, "Well, at least I'm not stuck to one ability." Sean nodded in agreement. Rich was right, since his ability can pick a second ability. He then heard Rich say, "So who are the others, and what are we going to tell everyone." 

Sean walked over to the two of them and said, "We'll introduce ye, and we will tell them the truth. Rich, I know ye will take care of her." As they stood up, he could tell that fate hand played them the right hand after all, even though it started out with the death of Rich's parents. 

Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end...... 


	54. Secret Meetings

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury

Secret Meeting

* * *

I. Adrienne

* * *

Adrienne Frost sat in the room with her fellow colleges. She was the new White Queen of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle. On the outside, the club looked like a social place for the elite, but it was privy only to mutants. A secret that not many people knew. Although alot was on her mind right now, Shaw had said that it was important that they met right now. As she sat there, she heard the current White King say, "Now Adrienne, we have golden opporunaty that has presented itself, and you might be able to help secure it."

Adrienne looked at the paper that he just threw down. The headline read, 'Corperate change leads to possible cure.' She looked at the article and saw something that caught her eye. "It appears this company has found a way to cure AIDS, as well as Legacy." She then saw the name of the company. "Paladin Technologies. I've been trying to negotiate a deal with them for months. I've tried to reach the president, but he is always out."

Her colleague, the Black Queen, just said, "That is because he is at a school. One that is run by your predecessor, but I doubt that she has anything to say in his choices. In fact, Paladin Technologies and your sister's company are now working together, and from what our sources can determine, it was the current owners idea."

The Black King then said, "We want you to try and convince the new president, Richard Cale Jr, to join the Hellfire Club. With him in our Inner Circle, we would be unstoppable."

Adrienne shook her head and said, "I don't know. I argued for months with his father about an area with tons of power waiting underneath ocean, but he won't sell. The son is just the same."

The Black King smiled and said, "Then, if he won't join, have this man end the problem. He has no heirs, and this mutant will gladly kill young Mr. Cale. Just mentioned one of the students. Besides, I think it might hurt Emma to loose another set of students." Adrienne smiled at that thought. It reminded her of when she had her husband killed.

* * *

II. Rich

* * *

The ringing of the phone brought Rich out of his slumber. It was odd for the phone to be ringing this early in the morning. He sat up, careful not to wake Yvette. He walked over to the phone and sat down. He looked over at Yvette's sleeping form. Only a month ago, Rich became a business owner, a Lord, a Paladin, and most of all, a husband. It was odd, but it was nice. Rich also knew of how awkward it was for the other students, especially with the contruction that was done to make this place for them to live. Rich finally picked up the phone, and in his best composed just awake voice, said "Hello, Richard Cale speaking."

He was startled to hear a female voice say, "Hello, Mr. Cale. I've been trying to reach you for a while. My name is Adrienne Frost."

Rich couldn't believe the audasity of the woman. He had made strict instructions when he visited the company branch in New York about the possible cures, that she was not to know his number. He just said, "How did you get this number, Ms. Frost?"

He heard her say, "I did some deduction after seeing you on that Millionaire show. I must say, your company does donate to a few mutant related charities. However, I am a mutant and I want to talk business with you."

Rich didn't know about what she was after, but he had been trying to dodge her until he found out why. "I don't know exactly what you want from my company, but I'm not about to give you anything until I know what your asking for."

He heard her say quite calmly, "Alright, I will be by later today to talk to you in person." This took him in shock. He didn't know how to react to that.

Rich had to grasp for his word as he said, "What do you mean by that?"

She just said, "I'll be stopping by to see you, as well as my sister. I know she runs that school you're in. I'll see you later today." He heard the phone disconnect. This wasn't good. He was hoping to prevent this. There was something about what she was looking for. His father didn't want to sell it, and neither did he, unless he knew what exactly it was. He went over to his computer and accessed the company records. Soon he found the land she was after. It was located in the ocean.

He looked up and saw Grimore had awaken and jumped up on to the table. "Something wrong, Paladin?" Grimore called him that alot now. He watched as the cat looked at the computer screen and said, "Oh, R'lyth. Did Marsh finally call?"

Rich looked at his cat and said, "No, he didn't, but I am dreading that call. Emma's sister called. She's trying to buy this land. But what is about it that they want?"

He listened as his cat, which was as old as his family, said, "Well, she probably sees the power the place radiates, but she must not understand what it is. Marsh knows what is down there."

Rich looked at the cat and said, "What is down there? And how bad is it?" Grimore just looked at him, and Rich felt he could answer that question. "Humanity wouldn't survive. It's that dangerous. I can't sell it to anyone." Grimore nodded. "Grimore, is there anything else you can tell me?"

The cat just jumped down and said, "Not that you might want to know, however, you might want to get some rest. That phone call came very early. I think Emma's sister is not in the right circles." Rich nodded. It was way too early for any phone calls. He went back and climbed into the bed.

* * *

III. Yvette

* * *

Yvette felt her husband climb back into bed. She had heard the phone ring, and his talk with Grimore that followed. She figured that he thought he hadn't woken her. She put her arms around him and said, "Rich, what's wrong?" 

She felt him turn to face her and said, "Is it that obvious? Emma's sister is coming here to try and convince me to give her the land she's after. However..."

She completed the sentence. "It's too dangerous. There is something deadly down there." He nodded and she said, "Then you know you can't sell it to her, but is there something more?"

She felt the nervousness in her husband as he said, "She called at a very awkward time. I think she was in some sort of secret meeting, but what?"

Yvette held her husband and said, "What if she's linked to some society, like Hellfire. We should ask Emma in the morning. Now let's get some rest before the sun rises." She kissed him on the cheek to relax him.

He returned the kiss and said, "Yvette, I don't know what I'd do with out you." She held him tighter when he said that. She loved him and was glad that they were now husband and wife. She just held him and kissed him again as they both drifted back into dreamland. Hopefully, they would spend the remaining hours within a very nice dream.


	55. Special Guests

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury

Special Guests

* * *

I. Emma

* * *

Emma looked over her students as they entered the main hall. They had planned a training session for in the "Danger Grotto", but not all the students had arrived, and Sean was missing as well. Emma sighed and said, "Alright, everyone knew about this training session, so where are the missing students?"

Emma didn't want to mention names, but there were only two missing. She then heard Paige say, "Emma, I heard a phone ringing about 4:00 this morning. I think it was theirs." Emma realized what Paige was saying, someone called Rich or Yvette at 4:00 and they were probably getting the sleep they missed at that time. Emma also realized what an inconvience the living arrangement had been. The whole attic of the girls dorm was transformed into an apartment for Richard and Yvette since their marriage.

Emma sighed and said, "Alright, we'll have to wake them up. I think this training session will be to their advantage." Having their place in the girls dorm had openned up some problems. One was the fact that Paige was on the floor below them. Second was the fact that Rich was living in the dorm. Third was the fact that Rich and Yvette were now married. Some of the school rules didn't apply as they would to the two if they were still dating.

She was about to continue when she saw Sean enter and say, "The training session just got postponed. We have company." She was a little upset at this, and then she saw who followed Sean in the door.

She looked at their guests and said, "Jean, Hank, Ororo. How are you all?" It had been a while since they last saw the X-Men, and she wondered what brought them up.

Emma could also tell Jubilee was thrilled to see her old friends as well when she saw Wolverine enter. "Wolvie, how are you?"

Ororo was the one who spoke. The African X-Men just said, "We had to stop by for a visit, Emma. After Scott and Jean were here, and your past visit to the mansion, someone had insisted that they meet Richard."

Emma felt abit startled, but could understand why. Rich had a profound effect on Penance when he joined. She smiled and said, "Who would like to meet Richard?"

She was almost started when a voice said, "I would." She looked at the door and saw a hovering wheelchair, with a familiar figure in it. It was Professor Charles Xavier. She was so overjoyed to see her friend that she ran over and gave Professor X a hug. "I've missed you as well, Emma. You must tell me about everyone here now, including Richard Cale."

Emma wanted to sigh, but she held it in and said, "We were just about to go fetch the rest of the students." She didn't know what Professor Xavier and the others would say about this. She turned and said, "If you'll all follow us, we go find them." Emma actually knew where to find them, but she didn't want to say a word about that.

As they all started out the door of the hall, she heard Jean say, "Emma, what are you hiding? There is something you're not telling us."

Emma didn't know how to say it, and just said, "I can only say you'll have to see for yourselves." With that, she led everyone in the direction of the girl's dorm, and to the attic where Richard and Yvette Cale now took up residence.

* * *

II. Grimore

* * *

Grimore had climbed out through the make shift door they set for him to get in and out of the attic. He figured that his masters could use some more sleep. Although he didn't know much about Emma's sister, he didn't trust the woman. He trusted Emma, but something told him not to trust the sister. As he walked the hall, he heard a gentle hum. He peered in the direction to see everyone coming his way, with some unfamiliar faces to him. He quietly said to himself, "Now who are these people?" 

He was startled when one man, very gruff looking, said, "When did you get a cat?" Grimore had hardly made a sound, but that man heard his meow.

He heard Sean say, "That would be Rich's cat, Grimore." Well, these people where friends of Gen X, but did Rich know them?

He was stunned when a blue fur covered man seemed to make his way to directly infront of him and said, "Then this must be the feline familiar that is mentioned in Britainia lore." Grimore felt a little distrubed by the speed and agility this being moved with. He must have been a mutant, but his appearence made him feel uneasy.

Grimore turned and ran for the attic door. He heard Emma say, "Hank, I think you spooked Grimore." Grimore didn't know who Hank was, but it had to be that beast.

He heard Jubilee say, "Grimore seems to look out for him. He's also great for around here." He had a feeling what Jubilee meant by that. He tended to know things before anyone else knew something was wrong. He was an early warning system.

That was the last thing he heard as he bounded in the attic door. As he ran up the steps, he shouted, "Paladin." That was sure to wake Rich, if nothing else did. He watched as both Richard and Yvette started to sit up. When the two were sitting up, Grimore yelled, "Sir, you better get dressed, and fast. There are others on their way here, one being a big blue furry person."

He noticed that Rich's eyes opened wide as he said, "You mean Dr. McCoy is here?" Apparently Rich knew about these people.

He heard Yvette say, "Grimore, you mean to say the X-Men are here." He watched as Yvette jumped out of bed and ran for some clothing. He heard her say to Rich, "Do you think they were part of the training session that we are late for?"

He noticed that Rich was half dressed as he said, "I don't know." His master looked straight him and said, "Grimore, who else was with them?"

Grimore thought about some of the people he had seen, and then remembered the hum that drew his attention. It had been from a chair. He just said, "There was a man with them in a floating chair. He was a bit bald."

Grimore saw the look that had crossed their faces, and they moved faster to get dressed. He didn't understand what had got them so excited, until Richard said, "Grimore, that man you saw is Professor Xavier. It's his dream of peace that this school was founded on." Grimore now understood why the two were excited. He figured that he'd just watch what would happen and curled up in a corner of the room.

* * *

III. Xavier

* * *

Charles Xavier waited with the others in front of the door as Sean pushed a button on an intercom. "Listen up, up there, we have company, if ye haven't figured it out yet." He was still puzzled why the two missing student were up in the girls dorm attic. In fact, he didn't like what it emplied. 

Charles turned to Emma and said, "You are allowing them to be spending nights together. You are in charge of teenages." The idea of two students spending this much time together didn't set well with him.

He was surprised to hear Emma say, "A few months ago, we would have right to be worried, but we have no say in the matter now."

He then heard Hank say, "Sean, you of all people, have a say in the matter. Yvette is now your legal daugther. She is now legally Yvette Cassidy."

Charles looked at Sean and said, "I take it that you adopted the girl that you codenamed Penance, and she is up there with Richard Cale. I must admit I am puzzled by this, if not distressed."

Sean sighed and said, "Hank is half right. Yes, I did adopt Yvette, but I don't have much say in what those two do." Charles was startled by this, and was more started when Sean said, "But ye weren't told about Yvette's name. It is now Yvette Cassidy Cale."

He heard Jean gasp as she said, "You mean the two eloped."

Right then, the door openned and two people emerged. One had been Penance, only her skin was much more normal. The other was the boy he had wanted to meet. It was the boy who said, "No, we were not aware of our marriage until about six days after my parents' death, Jean. If we had our choice in the matter, we would have had a nice ceremony." Charles watched as the boy approached him and said, "Professor Xavier. It is an honor to meet you. My home town lives your dream. We wish that one day the world would live it."

It did Charles Xavier's heart well to hear what the boy had said. He faced the boy and said, "I am glad to know that some small part of the world has managed to look past the genetic differences. I take that you are Richard Cale Jr. I have heard much about you from the X-Men. I only wish that all of them could join us during this visit. I also owe you my freedom." He noticed the shocked look on everyones faces, most of all on Richard's face.

* * *

IV. Rich

* * *

Rich couldn't believe what he heard. He was being thanked by Charles Xavier, but why? He finally recovered from the statement and said, "Pardon me, Professor Xavier, but what did you mean by that. How did I earn you your freedom?" 

Professor Xavier looked at him and said, "The FBI had made a request into the release of mutant prisoners that where held by Zero Tolerance." Rich realized what that meant. It had been his request of the FBI. Since he started running the family company, he had asked the FBI for bodyguards. They had been happy to obilge and would fill any other request Rich had.

Rich didn't know what to say at that. He slowly drew his breath and said, "Professor, I'm sorry for what my uncle had put you through. If I had known, I would have done something earlier." He felt Yvette hold him. She could sense how distressed he was at that time.

Sean then said, "Rich, we all know that Bastion was ye uncle, and ye don't have to answer for what he did. It's not ye fault lad."

He then heard Jean say, "Besides, Richard, if it weren't for you, what would have happened to Daria? Would she even be part of Generation X?"

Jean was right and he realized it. He then heard Yvette say in their mind _"My love, you know that you're not responsable for the sins of Bastion. Don't let that affect you in this way."_

Rich turned and kissed Yvette. _"Thank you for the reminder, my love. You are my strength."_

She looked at him and said, _"You are my strength as well."_

He turned to face the rest as Xavier said, "Were the two of you just comunicating psyonicly?"

Emma just said, "They do that from time to time. Under Jean's advice, I've been trying to teach them to communicate differently than they do when they communicate psyonically."

Rich understood what they meant. "When we usually want to speak amonst ourselves, or even if one of us is asleep, Yvette and I use our psyonic link."

Yvette then said, "Even in our dreams, we stay together."

Rich heard the African woman in the X-men say, "Then fate chose well for you two to meet." Rich didn't recognize the African woman. He had recognized Dr. Hank McCoy, Professor Xavier, Jean Grey and Wolverine, but this other woman he didn't recognize. She saw his confusion and said, "I am Ororo Munroe."

Jean then said, "That's right, you didn't get to meet everyone when you were last to the mansion. The others are out on a mission right now."

Rich nodded and heard a soft voice say, "Sir, I've just seen something disturbing." Rich recognized the voice of his cat, but it would be very difficult to talk to Grimore now.

Rich smiled and said, "I feel I'm going to have a very busy day today." He then turned to Emma and said, "Emma, are you expecting company other than the X-Men?" He knew that she hated surprises, especially ones that were not the best surprises.

Emma looked at him and said, "I wasn't expecting them. I am unaware of any company." That made Rich worry more about the phone call. He didn't want to ask the next question in front of the X-Men.

He was about to ask her the question when he heard Grimore hiss in disgust. He also heard Wolverine say, "Something doesn't seem right. Something smells foul." He turned and looked in the direction everyone was looking. There was a figure coming up the steps. It wasn't a woman, so it wasn't Emma's sister, but Rich recognized it right away.

He was even more sure of it when he heard Professor Xavier say, "Is this a new student, he appears to be a mutant."

He then heard Monet say, "Mon Deui." She knew what it was. She must have seen that memory of his during the delirium.

Rich moved to the front of the group as the figure left the shadows. He understood Grimore statement earlier. He glared at the figure as the figure just said, "Mr. Cale Jr, if I'm right. My name is.."

Rich cut him off before he could say another word, "I know who you are. I also know you're not a mutant."

He heard Jean say, "How can you be sure of that?"

He just ignored her for now. He looked straight at the man and said, "I know what you are, have know for a long time. You don't mean any well for this planet. I know what you're after and I know you're not getting it."

The being just frowned and said, "I take it I came too late to try and trick you. I figure your father told you all about me. If he weren't dead, I'd kill him myself. I'll get the book, and R'ylth as well."

Rich watched as the man turned to leave. When he reached the steps, Rich said, "If you feel like killing the person that ruined your plans, Mr. Marsh, I suggest you slit your throat when you return to Innsmouth. I saw you leave when I was a kid. I learned it from your own mouth." He saw the man turn to face him. There was rage in the man's eyes. He then turned and walked away. When Rich saw Grimore calm down, Rich just fell to the floor.

* * *

V. Sean

* * *

Sean watched as Yvette ran to Rich's side. The front that the lad had put up had drained him. As the others helped Rich regain himself, he heard Hank say, "That was most perplexing. The man looked like a mutant, but Rich was insistant that he wasn't." 

Sean just looked at his friend and said, "True, but you remember when we called you when Rich was having his bout with that family ailment." He watched as Hank nodded. "Rich relived some memories and that was one of them. Apparently our mysterious visitor was something Rich's family knew about."

He saw Xavier turned to face him and say, "What exactly is he?"

Sean was almost startled when Rich said, "He's a hybrid of humans and an other species. Not many people know how real they are. I just wish I didn't have the two things he wanted in my possesion."

Sean notice that Emma looked at Rich and said, "Is the place you named the place I think it is? The place from that story?" He noticed that Rich nodded and Emma went pale.

Jean just said, "That is not good. Could that be much worse than it is?"

Sean walked over and huddled them all together. "Rich, what is that place he mentioned? What is it?"

He then heard Yvette say, "It's something that was writen about, long thought to be a myth. The myth, however, is very real." Sean was really hating how that sounded.

Sean looked up and said to his students, "How about ye all start practicing your skills. We'll be with you in a moment." As the rest left, he said, "Rich, I think ye should tell us more about this." Sean was surprised when Rich nodded and headed for the door to his and Yvette's apartment. This confrontation made him worry. He wondered how much trouble this Marsh fellow might cause.

As they all followed Rich into the attic, he heard Xavier say, "My goodness. There are countless books in here." Sean remembered when Rich had them sent over from England. He was surprised by how much they had sent over.

He heard Jean say, "Now this is odd. This picture looks like it's alive." He noticed that Jean was looking at one of the books Rich had brought back the day he came back from England. He had stressed that no one touch the book, especially the picture.

He watched as Yvette grabbed Jean's hand. "Please. You don't want to do that." Sean didn't truely understand why they had a book like this, but Rich's family held the items for a long time. He then saw that Rich was setting at his computer, and Grimore, Rich's cat, was perched next to him.

As they headed over to Rich, Sean wondered what the newly married couple did when they were up here. He figured they spent quality time together, but also there were distinct traces of eachs personality. He was startled when Rich said, "Here is the land Marsh wants." He looked at the computer screen and was amazed. It looked like a small city.

Hank said, "Most interesting, but Rich, how big is this in actual size." Sean saw Rich point to a small number on the screen. He could tell that Hank was startled by the number when he said, "Is that correct?"

Rich just sighed and said, "Very much so, and in those doors are a power source no one can control, but Marsh is a servent of it."

Emma then said, "You're not telling us everything, are you, Richard?"

Sean was a bit unnerve when Rich said, "Remember when I asked about company? You're sister called me early this morning. I feels shes after this land as well, but I feel something deeply wrong."

Sean could tell that Emma was turning things through her mind, but was surprised when Charles said, "Emma, I do believe that he thinks your sister is with the Hellfire Club."

He noticed that Rich nodded. He didn't like the sound of that any better. Emma then said, "Adrienne might just do such a thing. I'm sorry that I didn't think of that sooner. I'm glad that you decided to help the school." Sean had to agree with Emma on that. The last thing he wanted was the school getting tied into the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.


	56. Intense Training

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury

Intense Training

* * *

I. Monet

* * *

The way the training had been going, it was like a different type of practice. Monet had a feeling that today was not going to be the best of days. Normal, she was on her toes, but that surprise visitor scared her, if not shook her up a bit. For the past half hour, Sean and Emma were with the X-Men and Rich and Yvette. The incident had shook everyone up, but she had seen the image in Rich's mind. After a while, she had decided to take a break. She was startled when Jubilee decided to join her. "What's wrong, Monet?" 

She had never been on good terms with Jubilee, but she was jealous of Jubilee, mainly over the fact that Jubilee had Everett. "Just what happened has me a bit unnerved."

Jubilee just said, "Monet, you're not the only one who has seen unnerving sights. I once saw a version of myself that helped a being called Mojo. Sort of sold her soul to him. Have you ever faced yourself on a physical plane." Monet couldn't say that she had. She never even thought about that.

Monet looked at Jubilee and calmly said, "I'll give you that, but you don't have to keep a evil part of you locked away, that is a whole seperate entity. Emma helped me stop Claudette, but I don't think I can control her for long. If she breaks free, everyone here will be at risk."

Jubilee sat down and said, "That doesn't scare me. What is the worse that Claudette can do? Lead us into your brothers clutches. She couldn't even fool all of us. We could tell the difference between you and Claudette."

Monet just sighed. "You don't understand. She'll try to get Darrett, many because she find him attractive. She'll try to get Emma because she helped stop Claudette. Worst of all, she'll try to deliver Rich and Yvette to Emplate. And God forbid if she tried to merge us together again." She saw Jubilee give her a curious eye. "Years ago, when we were younger, Claudette managed to merge us with Marius. The resulting merger caused a superbeing to be born. It took my father, and two of his friends, to split us apart. From what I can remember of it, one of them wore a gold medallion, and the other held a flaming sword."

She noticed that Jubilee gasped. "Like the one that Rich was holding when he returned from England." Monet nodded and then gasped. She figured that Jubilee came to the same conclusion that she had just come to. That Rich's father was the same man who was her father's one friend.

* * *

II. Jubilee

* * *

Jubilee couldn't believe what she had heard, but she was more stunned at what it meant. She could tell that by Emplate's reaction back when Rich and Penny returned from England, that the Emplate didn't know about the friendship, but knew about the sword. She just said, "You mean that Rich's family knew about Emplate, and you and Claudette." She watched as Monet nodded.

Monet then said, "And now that I pieced it together, I don't doubt that Claudette has figured it out as well." That was a scary thought.

Jubilee looked over at the entrance to the Biosphere and saw Rich, Penny and the rest enter. She said to Monet, "Monet, I think you need to talk to Professor Xavier. If any one can help you control Claudette, it's him."

She watched as Monet stood up and said, "I'm not sure. I don't know if I should." She watched as Monet just ran off. She started wondering about how often she had been mean to Monet, and now wished that she hadn't.

She was started when she heard Penny say, "What was that about, sis?" Jubilee knew that Penny had always considered her like a sister. She really couldn't lie to them about Monet's fears, and maybe Professor Xavier could help her.

Jubilee just said, "Monet's been upset about the possibility of Claudette breaking free."

She heard Professor Xavier ask, "If I remember right, Claudette was Cartier's other daughter. He never said what happened to her." Jubilee had learned that Monet's father was part of Xavier's Mutant Underground Railroad, but she didn't know that Professer X never knew about all of Monet's family.

She then heard Sean say, "We'll inform ye a bit later. Right now, I think if the X-men might be willing to help, we could give these kids a good training." Jubilee then noticed that all of Generation X had gathered round, including Monet, who seemed to be hiding in the back.

She heard Rich say, "Sean, what did you actually have in mind?" She could tell that Rich was both confused and concerned by what Sean had said.

Sean looked at everyone and said, "Simple. We will do something like that one show some of you kids have been watching." She knew which one Sean meant the second Rich hung his head in disgust. Both Penny and Rich didn't care for the show, but their reasons were different. Penny had learned to survive by wits before Rich came to the school, but Rich felt that it was too ridiculous. Sean then said, "The rules are simple. Ye have to survive. You're out if you're tug out by anyone. Also, ye can't play favorites in this training session. Everyone is fair game. I hope ye understand that, Rich and Yvette." She saw the two frown. She could tell that the two didn't like fighting against each other. "Anyplace is a valid strike area, which means under ground and in the air are part of the play area. Last and most important rule, we will let you know who is out and who eliminated them from the training. We will be watching on all the monitors. The training will run until one person is left. Emma, Charles and I will be watching from the control room. When you're eliminated, ye are to head there."

When Sean finally stopped, Jubilee said, "Sean, why are the X-Men going to be part of this?"

She heard Professor Xavier say, "It's simple. One, the X-Men could use this to help you develop your abilities. Two, Hank can help give you an idea on how to fight the Dark Beast, who leads Gene Nation. Three, Wolverine can best give you an idea on how to fight Sabertooth." The last one made her shiver. She never wanted to see Sabertooth's face again.

Emma then said, "Alright everyone, you are to head out in different direction. In 2 minutes, we will tell you to start. Remember, do your best not to be the first one eliminated." With that, Jubilee watched as everyone headed off in different directions. She figured who the toughest target would be, Wolverine, since it would be very difficult to sneak up on Wolverine. She figured that of everyone in the group, Wolverine would be the last to remain standing.

* * *

III. Logan

* * *

Logan looked around, and sniffed the air. No one was near him. This training session had gone on for nearly an hour, and in that time, half of each group were taken out. For the X-Men, only he and Ororo had remained in. Of Generation X, Monet, Paige, Angelo, Daria, and Mondo were out. This left Jubilee, Everett, Jono, Rich, Yvette, and Darrett. Of all of them, he wasn't sure which to worry about. He had caught Paige entirely off guard. He then heard the intercom come to life. He heard Sean say, "Alright, Jono is out. Everett caught him off guard." That left six others to worry about. 

As he moved forward slowly, he heard a snap. He spun around, trying hard to not extend his claws. He doubted that any of the students had his healing factor. He looked around. He couldn't see a soul. He stopped and said, "Alright, whoever you are, I know you're here. Where are you?" He'd rather tag them out before they tag him out. He heard something move in the dirt, and was startled when a hand thrust out of the dirt behind him. He saw the red claw and figured it must be Yvette under the dirt. He knew her skin was sharp when she used her ability, and figured that even his claws couldn't cut her. He quickly extended them to tag her out, but when he went to move his hand, he heard a clack. He looked at it quickly to see another hand out of the dirt, with three claws like his. It hit him who it was as the other hand grabbed his leg and pushed, causing him to topple. He was completely unprepared for that turn of events. He retracted his claws as fell.

He watched as the figure burst out of the dirt and said, "Gotcha."

Logan knew who it was. "How'd did you do it, Rich, and how long were you tracking me."

He watched as Rich chucked and said, "Since the beginning of the session. I just stayed downwind and hid while you moved." Logan was impressed. He then watched as as the boy jumped into the trees and said, "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll try and tag my wife out."

Logan then knew what the boy meant, "You're going after the two toughest targets to you. Why did you take me out first?"

He watched as Rich stopped and smiled. "Well, you are the hardest to sneak up on, and I know little about you, while Yvette knows how I think, and I know how she thinks. I know what to expect from her, but not from you." He watched as the boy then quickly disappeared from site. Logan never figured that now that the boy permenantly had Yvette's ability that he could also hold his ability.

As he headed for the control room, he heard the intercom go on again, "Looks like Logan is out. Rich managed to stop him." As he continued walking, he saw Hank waiting at the door.

As he neared he heard Hank say, "Looks like the boy has learned alot being here."

Logan just said, "He's lucky that I wasn't Sabertooth. I don't think Sabertooth would have been content with falling over. By the way, how did you get tagged out."

He watched as Hank shrugged and said, "I had just pluck Monet from the air when Daria gave me a flying tackle. It was almost like an ambush, but Daria told me she was trying to tag Monet out."

Logan walked through the control center and said to Sean, "You have a talented son-in-law. I don't think Sabertooth could have pulled off what he did."

He heard Sean laugh as he said, "Well, ye'd be surprised what he can do."

Logan had worked up a thirst while out there. He decided that he'd step out to fetch a drink. As he openned the door, he watched as a car pulled up. He turned and said, "Hey Sean, I think Emma's sister just pulled up." He watched as both Emma and Sean raced over. He started to have a feeling that the training would be cut short.

* * *

IV. Yvette

* * *

Yvette listened careful after Logan was eliminated from the training session. She knew she was near Jubilee, but she need a direction. Soon she heard Jubilee say, "Man, I thought Wolvie would last longer than that." She started in the direction the voice came from. Just as she almost reached the location of the voice, she saw some fireworks hit the trees. She stood motionless and then heard Jubilee say, "Ev, you scared me." 

She listened more as Everett just said, "Well, I got you." She heard both laugh. She wondered if Rich would be hunting her down now that he got Logan out of the exercise. This was a session in survival. If she knew her husband, he would find his two main targets and try to get them first.

As she watched, she knew that Everett was now her target, but she had to be warry. With Jubilee nearby, he could use her ability on her. She wondered why anyone hadn't announced Jubilee's removal from the session. She moved along the branch she was on, and untensed all but her right hand. If anything, she tried to focus on her acrobatic skills whenever she could. This would be a good test. She then heard Jubilee say, "I think you should be careful, Ev. I could have sworn I heard movement in that direction in the trees."

She watched as Everett's mutant aura started to glow. She listened as he said, "It's either Rich or Yvette. You'd better head out. I'll shoot some fireworks in that direction to stun whoever it is." She watched as Everett started shooting fireworks in the direction she had been. She cut the branch she was on and timed her jump off it. She saw Everett look straight at her. He was surprised. As she was hitting the ground, she tapped him and smiled. "I don't know how you can do that, but you always pull some sort of acrobatic surprise."

She smiled and said, "Well, you're out of the practice now. You better head to the control room." As he walked away, she just giggled. She was thinking of how she would tag her husband out of this training session. She would probably just give him a long kiss, which they would continue when they were back at their apartment.

She was in the middle of this thought when a voice came over the intercom. It was her 'father's' voice. "Attention everyone. We need to put training on hold." Before she could even hear the rest of the announcement, she heard a twig snap. She turned and was tackled by her husband.

They went rolling down the ground until they stopped. She looked at him and said, _"Looks like I was saved by the bell. We're both still in this."_

Rich just kissed her and said, _"Well, I can still kiss you. Besides, wasn't this what you were going to do to me."_ When he stopped kissing her, she giggled again. She didn't know if he had read her mind or not, but she didn't mind it either.

She quickly rolled, and with that, she had him pinned to the ground. _"Well, maybe when we continue this training session, I might have you pinned down instead of you having me pinned down."_

He gave her a smile and said, _"True, True. With Logan out, my only worry is you, but I don't think I have to worry too much."_

She give him a devilish smile and said, _"What makes you think that you don't have too much to worry about?"_

She saw the devilish grin he gave her as he said his next words, _"Because, whichever of us tags the other out, I think we'll both like it. How about a little bet. When we continue this training, if I tag you out, you have to do something for me, but if you tag me out, then I do something for you."_

She stopped smiling and asked, _"What if someone else tags us out?"_ She didn't know what to think about that.

Rich responded, _"The one of us that lasts the longest then. Is that a deal?"_

She had a grin cross her face as she said, _"Alright. I already know what I'd like you to do for me. There was that one item I saw at the mall last week."_ She watched her husband go bright red. _"Yep, if I win, you have to buy it for me."_

Before Rich could even respond to it, she heard Ororo Munroe, the X-Men known as Storm, say, "I take it both of you didn't hear the announcement." She watched as Ororo land right besides them. "There is someone here for you, Rich."

As they both got up, Rich just said, "Is it Emma's sister?" When Ororo nodded, Rich just said, "I guess I better meet with her in an office setting." She could understand what Rich meant by that. It was a business meeting. He took Yvette's hand and said, "Yvette, could you tell them to meet me in the office Emma helped me set up. I think I need to clean up before this." She watched as he ran off to get cleaned up.

As she and Ororo made their way to the control room, Ororo said to her. "What were you doing that he was blushing?"

Yvette didn't see the harm in telling Ororo. "We made a bet on which of the two of us would last the longest. If he losses, he has to pick up something I saw at the mall." She giggled and then said, "It was in a store he feels abit uncomfortable in. He was reluctant to go in one time with me."

Ororo just looked at her and said, "I see. Do you have any idea what you might have to do?"

Yvette giggled and said, "No, but I know he wouldn't make me do anything he knows I wouldn't do. He is a gentleman, first and foremost, and that's what I love most about him." She giggled again as she thought about Rich going for the item she wanted him to get. She wondered how nervous he'd be.


	57. A Faux Meeting

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury

A Faux Meeting

* * *

I. Emma

* * *

Emma watched as her sister headed straight for the Biosphere. Even though she couldn't read her sister's mind, she felt like that they was some ill wind in the air. This visit was not something they were looking forward to. Emma even knew that it made Rich uncomforable as well, especially with the occurance earlier that morning. As Adrienne approached the door, she noticed that Professor Xavier had left. She wondered why he had left, but stopped thinking about it when Adrienne opened the door to the Biosphere and said, "Emma, how nice to see you again?" 

Emma didn't want to let her sister know that they were all suspicious, so she just said, "Adrienne, what brings you to my school?" She didn't trust her sister, especially with what Rich had mentioned what his suspicions were.

She noticed that her had held the same smile on her face. Emma could swear it was almost predatory. "Well, I did want to visit my little sister, but I found out that the head of a company i'm trying to arrange a deal with is at your school."

Emma looked at her sister and said, "I take it that your refering to Paladin Technologies." She was aware of Rich's company, especially since it prevented her from asking Adrienne for financial help. She had feelings that Adrienne might try something very underhanded.

Adrienne just said, "Besides, I surprised you didn't ask me for help. I happened to look into young Mr. Cale's company, and saw of their pro-mutant chararities. I figured it was due to him being a mutant."

Emma was now sure of part of the business that her sister wanted to discuss, but she wouldn't let on. She just said, "Well, you have to discuss that with him then. I'm sure that one of my students can show you to his office." She turned and motioned Yvette forward. "Yvette, could you take my sister to Rich's office?"

She watched as Yvette nodded and said, "Of course, Emma." Emma noticed that Yvette wasn't going to let on that she was Rich's wife. Rich must have told her something that nobody else knew about.

When Yvette had taken Adrienne out of the building, Sean said, "Rich must have something planned, because the second Logan mentioned she was here, Charles left."

She smiled and said, "I hope that Rich is videotaping this meeting. I think he has a little surprise planned for my sister." She then frowned and said, "And I think he's right."

She heard Ororo say, "He right about what, Emma?"

Emma said her next words in her most serious tone. "We've all just seen the new White Queen, and I wouldn't doubt if she has something planned that won't be good for Generation X." She turned and saw the worried look in everyones eyes. She also noticed that Darrett and Daria looked abit puzzled. She wondered for a moment about that as she noticed a similarity in the expressions. She then dismissed it. Darrett may have been from the future, but the similiarities were probably just related to the fact that he had been at the school for a long time.

* * *

II. Adrienne

* * *

Adrienne followed the young redheaded girl named Yvette. She wondered what the girl's ability was. She also wondered if there was any relationship between Richard Cale and this girl. As they walked towards the office, she said, "If you don't mind me asking, are you dating Richard Cale that my sister had you show me to his office?" 

The girl didn't look her in the eyes, but just said, "No. I'm not dating him." She said nothing more. She wondered if Emma was coaching the girl from afar. She was about to use her ability when they stopped at a door that was open. She looked in as the girl said, "This is his office."

Adrienne nodded and said, "Thank you. We'll have to talk abit later." As she entered, she noticed that the chair behind the desk was facing the window, but she couldn't see who was in it. As she stepped to a chair in front of the desk, she heard the door close. All she saw as a man in a black fedora and long black overcoat.

She heard a voice come from the chair behind the desk. "Don't concern yourself with him. He is a hired security guard." It sounded exactly like the voice that was on the television. She sat down in the chair as the voice said, "Now, Ms. Frost, I take it you want to do business with Paladin Technologies."

She was impressed at how businesslike he was. She figured he'd still be a kid in these matters. "Yes, Mr. Cale. About the land I wish to purchase from you."

She was surprised at the speed of the responce. "The answer is no. I'm aware of the power and it's nature. While it is a vast power source, it would do more harm to the planet if we even tried to harness it. It is completely foolhardy to try any deal for that."

She was about to argue when she noticed that the figure in black was behind her chair. She didn't trust the figure, but if they suspected anything of her true intentions, they might have acted before now. She then said, "Then allow me to get down to the second matter. Mr. Cale, I am part of a society that would like to make you a member of their club. It could earn you many business partners."

She waited until he said, "I'm listening, but I save my choice until after I hear your offer."

She thought this was a good sign. "I am a member of a club called the Hellfire Club. I figured that you'd be interested since it is mutant club."

She was shocked when he said, "I've heard of Hellfire, and my answer is no."

Adrienne was also getting upset. Since she had entered this office, she was facing the back of a chair, she stood up and reached past the desk. "Now Mr. Cale, I insist you tell me face to face why..." She stopped as she swung the chair around. Richard Cale Jr. wasn't sitting in the chair, however she knew the face of who was in there. It was Charles Xavier. She was stunned as she said, "You're not Richard Cale."

She was even more shocked when the figure in the black fedora removed his hat and said, "But I am." He was right. She recognized the features of the man. He then said, "I have been monitoring you since you entered, and I don't like you one bit. There is no way that I would join Hellfire." He started to walk toward her, and she backed away. "Plus, I don't like what your thinking about this school, but I will tell you this. If I suspect any foul play from your hands on this school, or Paladin Technologies, I will have the law shut your company down, and if I have to, have them take out Hellfire."

She was right at the door and ran out. She didn't like being tricked. She didn't like being played for a fool. He had known the whole time why she was there. Plan A didn't work. Adrienne got into her car and left the grounds. When she felt she was a good distance away, she picked up her cellphone and dialed the number she was given. When she heard the person on the othe end pick up, she said, "Victor, my name is Adrienne Frost, and I have a job for you." She smiled as she thought about how this hitman would do his job.

* * *

III. Darrett

* * *

Darrett watched as Emma's sister pulled out of the driveway. Something was bothering him about all this. He had a very strange sense of forbodding. He then heard Emma say, "I don't think that will be the last we hear of her." 

Darrett didn't want to ask why, but he figured that they might be in a bad situation. He heard Daria say, "How so, Emma?" He knew she was wise, but nobody knew how he knew that. It was a secret he kept to himself.

He turned to face her as she said to all of them, "If Hellfire wanted him, there is only one way they will accept no for an answer." He didn't like the sound of that.

He then watched as Rich, Yvette and Professor Xavier came in. He was surprised when Rich said, "Do you mean to say that she might try to have me killed? I already told her that if I suspected foul play that the law would be on her hide."

Darrett was surprised when he heard what Rich said. He looked at him and said, "You mean you threatened her." He didn't know what had happened in the office, but it was obvious that something made Rich threaten her.

He then heard Emma say, "Rich what did you have planned that had my sister run out of here so fast?" He had to admit that he wanted to know that as well.

He heard Professor Xavier say, "I must admit that the boy is clever. He had me pose to be him, and pretended to be a bodyguard. It appears that Hellfire is interested in him."

Yvette then said, "And from what Rich suspects, he thinks that they want to ruin you, Emma."

Darret watched as Sean said, "Do you think we should be prepared for the worst?" It was obvious what was meant by that.

Rich just shook his head and said, "She can't do anything legally. The FBI won't allow it, also I don't think she's going to risk going to the Friends Of Humanity, but when I latched onto her ability, I did see some connection."

He then heard Logan say, "Then everyone's gonna have to be in top form. There is only one connection you have to worry about." Darrett wondered what Logan meant and saw Jubilee start to shiver.

He then heard the fear in her voice as she said one word. "Sabertooth." He noticed a few of the Gen X members went pale at the mention of the name. However, all he knew about Sabertooth was the rumors from his own time. Some stated that Sabertooth was a vicious monster, while others said he was owned by the version of Rich and Yvette from his own timeline.

He decided to say part of what he knew. "I don't want to seem stupid, but from what I remember from my timeline, Sabertooth was a vicious monster. Is that true?"

He noticed the Ororo said, "That is putting it in very simple words. Sabertooth is a psychopath, and he wouldn't think twice about killing everyone just to kill one person."

Darrett felt like he shouldn't ask the next question, but he had to. "What link does he have to the Friends of Humanity?"

He heard Sean say, "His son was a member. That's the link."

Emma then said, "Then we better finish this training and run a second training session." He had to agree with that. It might be best for them to be prepared.

He heard Everett say, "Emma, how many of us are still in this training session? Jubilee and I never got anounnced out."

He just said, "I think I'm still in."

Sean then said, "You're right, Darrett. You are still in, as well as Rich and Yvette. Ororo you're still in the training session. Everett, you and Jubilee got tagged out before the break, so ye are both out. Alright, let's get back to this, big time." He followed as they all headed for the "Danger Grotto".


	58. Butting Heads

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury

Butting Heads

* * *

I. Jono

* * *

As they all headed for the Grotto, Jono looked at Paige. They had been dating after the first attack Aura had made, and he was worried sick about her during attacks. Jono walked alongside her and said, _"Paige, can we talk for a moment?" _

He heard her say, "What is it, Jono?" He could see the concern in her eyes. He wondered if the same thought had crossed her mind that had crossed his.

_"Paige, I'm a bit worried about you. I have this strange feeling that we are going to lose someone soon, and I'm very afraid it's going to be you. I keep thinking about what Soundwave did to you." _

He noticed as Paige shivered at the mention of demented mutant. He felt her get close to him as she said, "Jono, I feel the same way about you. It's just Ah wonder if something is out to to get me. First it was Aura almost crushing me to death, and then Soundwave and what he did. At least he didn't do to me what he did to Jubilee."

Jono then heard the gruff voice of Logan say, "What did Soundwave do to her? If I ever get the chance to get my claws on him, I'll teach him a thing or two about what he did." Jono could tell that Logan was not to thrilled. From what they had heard, Soundwave had changed Logan into a non-stop macarena.

He didn't know if he should tell Logan, but then he realized that Logan should know. He didn't want to say it, but Logan had overheard their talk. If he could sigh, he would have as he said, _"It wasn't too good from what we heard. If it wasn't for Everett, Jubilee might have died, maybe worse." _

He saw that Logan was starting to get upset. "What did he do to her?"

Jono now realized that he had made a mistake by mentioning what had happened to Logan. Now he didn't want to mention what had happened to Jubilee to him, mainly because he was afraid that Logan might go on a rampage. He was scared that he would when Paige said, "He made her believe that she was being attacked by all of her worse enemies attack her at once." He noticed that Paige was leaving out the other facts about what Soundwave did to her. However, he could tell that Logan could guess what had happened to her as he let loose a howl of anger.

* * *

II. Jubilee

* * *

Jubilee spun around when she heard Wolvie's howl of anger. She wondered what made Wolvie so angry. She just heard him say to Sean, "When were you going to tell me about what happen to her?" It then hit her what he must have found out. Soundwave's first attack. 

She watched as Sean just said, "This is why we didnae want to tell ye, Logan. We all knew how ye would react."

She then watched as Rich stepped in between the two. "Simmer down, Logan. It's not like she was the main target."

She was almost scared that Logan would impale Rich on his claws. "Oh yea, he had me doing that stupid dance cause he was after you. You could have warned us about him."

She was stunned as Rich never faulted in his stance. "Like I was going to know that the bastard was going to escape from prison. Did you ever let Jubilee know of all your enemies?" Then she saw Wolverine stop his ranting. She heard Rich continue, "You never did, but then when one has enemies, they tend to come after you, and no force anywhere can prevent you from avoiding it. If I had my way, Soundwave would have never found me here." She watched then as Rich started to run off. She saw Penny take off after him.

Over the time Rich had been at the school, she had seen that a few times before. Before she could say anything, she heard Professor Xavier say, "Why did he run off?"

She was about to answer when she heard Jean say, "It's just like when he almost committed suicide, isn't it Sean?"

Jubilee had to say something. "He was that close to losing it. Rich doesn't like do things that might hurt his friends, or even mortally hurt an enemy. I once came close to that once." She remembered that day all to well.

She heard Ororo say, "What happened, Jubilee?"

She heard Everett say as he took her arm, "It wasn't too long ago. Rich had found a record at the local store and brought it back. He was planning to transfer it to a tape, but Jubilee knocked him over. The record shattered."

Hank McCoy looked at her and said, "He got that upset over a record. Sounds very petty."

Monet then said, "I've seen him get excited over music. He said that that particular album was off one of his favorite films, and the fact that he had found the soundtrack made it a huge find for him. Just like the opera he received just the other day from Germany."

Emma then said, "He said it was a recently found opera by Wagner. He also said it was from the debut preformance."

Hank then said, "How did he get such a find?"

Jubilee just said, "His family friend in Germany got it for him. I think Rich also said it was found by them. I haven't heard it yet, but he says it is beautiful." She had also heard Penny rave about it, but the two had yet to let them hear it, not like she was totally into it.

Professor Xavier then said, "Still, to get upset over a record is nothing, and ridiculous."

Emma then said, "True, but it is usually the tip of the iceberg. Rich keeps all his anger inside him, and tries to release it any way he can. Sometimes he can't and all it takes is one trigger to let it all come out."

Jubilee finally said, "I think he's going to be calm when we get back to the 'Grotto'." She then headed down to the Grotto. As she walked, she noticed Everett was still at her side. She looked at Everett and said, "I hope Rich is going to be Ok."

Her boyfriend just said, "Let's face it, Jubes, Rich is a trooper. I didn't think anyone would have the nerve to stand up to Logan like that." She had to agree. She didn't know if Logan would hurt Rich or not, but she was glad he didn't.

* * *

III. Yvette

* * *

Yvette ran after her husband. She had seen him like this a few times before, and she knew what was coming. When she finally caught up with him, she saw him sitting in the control room of the 'Grotto'. She knew he had started crying, she could sense it. She walked over to him and said, "Are you alright?" 

She saw the tears in her husband's eyes as he said, "I was about to hurt Logan. How could I be alright?"

Yvette put her arms around Rich and said, "I know you wouldn't do that. You have alot of will power."

As she held him, she heard him say in their mind link, _"I have done it. You remember what I did to Black Tom. I was also close to Logan, I had his rage, his fury."_ She remembered how close he was to Wolverine.

She kissed him and said, _"But remember, the power of the mind is stronger than the power of fury. You showed that by not striking."_

She felt him return the kiss. _"I hope that that will always be true, Yvette. I just hope that I don't get worked up anymore today."_ She hoped so as well. She knew that he never got that upset in less than a day's time.

Yvette stopped the kiss and said, "You know, maybe some music might help you right now. Want me to get the opera that Gabe sent us?" She saw how leary he was about that.

He looked at her and said, "I don't know about that. We need to focus on this training session, plus I don't think it would be wise for anyone else to hear it until we get a recording from a different preformance." She had to agree with that. The opera ended abruptly, and she knew why. She then saw a devilish smile cross his face.

She knew the smile and returned it. _"I think I know what you've picked for you end of our bet."_ She heard him laugh. He was feeling better, and that was a good sign. She then said, _"Why do I think we will both enjoy it?"_

He smiled and said, _"Would you say the same thing about what you had planned?" _She giggled after he said that.

She held him close and said softly, "You know me too well."

He smiled and softly said, "I am your husband. It comes with the title." They both giggled at those last words. Sometime Yvette wondered how fortune allowed her all this. When she was first left at the school, she never figured that she would find someone that would love her, let alone help her learn to control her dangerous ability. Then, fate made Rich join the school. True, they had a few little disagreements, but the always found a way to work them out. She felt him kiss her as he said, "I'm glad we met as well."

She broke the kiss off when she heard someone say, "I take it that Rich is feeling better." She turned to face Hank McCoy. She could also tell that the others were not far behind.

She watched as her husband smiled and said, "I am, Dr. McCoy. I thank you for your concern."

She was startled by Dr. McCoy's next word. "We were told about what you go through. We also found out about the opera you received. I'm a bit of fan of Wagner's works. I was wondering if I could hear the opera later."

She noticed how her husband reacted to the request. She saw the discomfort that he had at the request. "If it's all the same, Dr. McCoy, I'd rather wait until I get a better copy of it. The debut preformance, which I have, has a rather odd occurance in it."

She noticed that Dr. McCoy just said, "Richard, such things might have been planned."

She then heard in their mind, _"He's right, it was planned, but not in front of such an audience."_ She nodded in agreement. She then watched as her husband said, "No doubt it might have been planned, but the event is rather unusual."

She was startled when Jean said, "Rich, we have all seen out part of unusual. Besides, it may do you some good to relax after the session. Besides, you also seem to have all of your teammates wanting to hear it."

Yvette heard Rich's heavy sigh as he finally said, "Alright, but it's not your typical opera."

Yvette then turned and said, "'Father', who is left for the training session?" She wanted to finish this, and soon. She wanted to try and best her husband. She then headed into the grotto with everyone else.


	59. Exhaustive End

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury

Exhaustive End

* * *

I. Xavier

* * *

Charles Xavier watched as the the remaining students of Generation X began their survival session with Ororo. He did wonder one thing about the students, and that was the young boy Darrett. Like Bishop, the boy was from the future, but only Generation X knew the boy's ability. He turned to Emma and said, "Emma, the new boy, Darrett, what is his ability?" 

Emma looked at him and said, "He can summon villianous characters to fight for him. However, the more powerful ones are hard for him to control." Xavier wondered how safe that ability could be.

He then heard Sean say, "Looks like the lad has grabbed a big thing this time." Xavier looked out into the grotto to see a figure floating above the tops of the trees in there. As he looked at it, he could tell it was humanoid, and wearing some sort of regal robes.

Xavier heard Logan say, "Definatly a fat man, but what's keeping the fat floating." He too, was wondering that.

As they watched, he was startled to hear a strange voice say, "Supsensor belts is what I think they are called." He, as well, as the others, spun around to see a man standing there, almost in aristocratic attire, like the man stepped out of a time machine. "Darrett said you might not recognized me. My name is Henry Stauf."

Xavier had heard the name before. Hank had as well as he said, "You mean the character from those puzzle games." Then he remembered the face. One of the other X-Men had a copy of the game. Even Hank enjoyied it from time to time.

He watched as the figure just said, "One in the same. As for Vladimir out there, the suspensor belts are all that keeps him mobile. If he had to walk, he'd crush his legs."

He soon realized that Henry was no strange occurance at the school as Emma said, "Henry, who exactly did Darrett bring forth?"

He watched as Henry shook his head, "He didn't bring anyone forth. He brought Vladimir back." Charles realized what the figure was saying.

Charles moved closer to the figure and said, "You mean that Darrett brought this Vladimir fellow back from the future." As the figure nodded, Xavier then asked, "What year?"

He was surprised by the answer. "I believe the year he's from is 10191." He heard everyone gasp. "I think he also said his homeworld was Geidi Prime, or something like that? I must head back now. Darrett only wanted me to tell you who he summoned this time."

He watched as Sean nodded and said, "Thank ye, Henry. At least Darrett is controlling this one."

He heard Jean say, "Has Darrett summoned some he couldn't control?"

Sean nodded and said, "Only one, but we monitor incase he summons something new." Xavier had to agree that that was a good idea. However, he wondered how much of a problem Generation X could handle if one of the creatures the boy summoned did rebel. He then heard Sean say, "Looks like the lad is trying to tag out Ororo." Xavier watched as Ororo started to fly near the figure.

* * *

II. Ororo

* * *

When Ororo saw the figure rise above the trees, she wondered two things. The first was if it was a robot in the biosphere, and the second was if it wasn't, who was behind it. She approached it with caution. She honestly wasn't sure who was behind it. As she flew closer, she noticed that the being faced her. The smile it had scared her abit. She was started when it said, "Who dares near me, the great Baron Vladmir Harkonen." 

Ororo stopped. Something about his voice made her fear him. She then realized that the man appeared to be very real, but couldn't really be there. She kept her distanse as she said, "Who brought you here?"

The figure just laughed as he came towards her. She started to fly back to maintain a distance. "You want to know who brought me here? I can answer that one for you." She half expected the figure to attack, but he didn't.

She then realized her folly when the figure spun. As if launched by the spin, she saw Darrett flying straight at her. He just yelled, "I brought him here," as he flew through the air. She started to fly upwards only to have Darrett grab her legs and pull her down to the ground.

As she fell, she said, "Very good trick Darrett, but what if I attacked that figure?"

He looked at her and said, "Was hoping you wouldn't? Might have been messy." She then noticed as the figure faded out of sight. She then heard him say, "He's like a big water balloon that floats."

When they finally hit the ground, she head Sean say over the intercome, "Well, the last of the X-Men is out, which leaves Darrett, Yvette and Rich still in." She noticed an uncomfortable look on the boys face.

Ororo looked at the boy and said, "What's wrong?" She noticed that he was troubled by the situation he was now in. She then said, "Is this like the time you came from?" As he nodded, she realized that he was of mixed feelings about the training session now. She looked him in the eye and said, "Don't worry, child. Remember, you took care of the evils you had to deal with."

She noticed as he sighed and said, "But they were the evils in my time. Did I actually stop them, or only post pone it." It was obvious that the boy was deeply troubled by the fact.

Ororo put her hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "Bishop had to adjust in the same way. It will take time, but you will get over this problem." She saw that the boy took a little comfort and then went to continue the session.

She flew off back to the control room and landed right at the door. As she entered, she heard Sean say, "Darrett is at his own trail by fire. I just hope the lad does the right thing." She understood what Sean meant. She hoped that the boy wouldn't act to harshly.

* * *

III. Yvette

* * *

Yvette carefully moved from tree to tree. She knew that she was being hunted, but now she was a bit worried. Other than herself and her husband, the only other person left in the session was Darrett, and she wondered if the boy could forget his past. She was afraid that Darrett would take this chance to hunt them down and end the possibility of his frightful timeline. She was almost lost in thought when she heard the movement. She looked down to see the dirt move. It had to be Rich. She watched as he brought his head out of the ground. She could tell he was looking for her. Now she could get the drop on him. She smiled and said, "I've got you now, love." 

Just as she was about to jump, she felt something jar the tree. She started to fall. She then felt herself get tackled by something. When she finally saw it, she was startled. It was a bull, but there was something weird about it. It seemed somewhat human. She watched as Rich came out of the ground. "Yvette!" was all he said. She watched as he approached the creature. She figured he knew who was behind it, mainly because she figured out who it was. While he approached, he tensed up a claw to attack the creature. She was a bit winded. As he approached, he said, "Darrett, if Mumbo here has rebelled and hurts Yvette, I won't forgive you." She wondered if Mumbo was the name of the bull. She was suprise at what happened next.

She saw Rich stop dead in his tracks as he was surrounded by a red aura. She then saw a scary sight as Darrett emmerged from hiding with a red armored man next to him. He walked over to Rich and said, "Nope, he and Monstar are safely under control." She watched as he tapped Rich's heel and Rich then fell to the ground. He then walked over to her and said, "Was the only way I could think of to get you two." He tagged her shoulder and said, "It's done." She watched as the man and the bull disappeared.

Soon the intercom came to life, "Looks like Darrett won that one, and lad, we'd like a word with you." She saw the calm look on his face. He expected it. She walked over to her husband and helped him up.

As they made their way back to the control room, she heard Rich say, "You summoned the Mob. Are you crazy, Darrett?"

The boy looked at them and said, "I know I took a chance, third new one I tried today."

Yvette noticed how stunned Rich was. She looked at him and said, "And what if they rebelled, how would we have handled those two. And who was the third."

She noticed as Henry McCoy said, "Baron Harkonnen, if you recognized the name?"

She watched as Rich just said, "The floating fat man from Dune. I reconginize the name."

Yvette then heard Emma say, "Darrett, you took a chance with one. Did you think that those two you had just summoned wouldn't rebel against you?"

She watched as Darrett just lowered his head. "Never really thought about it. I was thinking that Rich and Yvette might both come after me."

Yvette then heard Rich say in their mindlink, _"He gambled the life of this planet on making sure he could win this training session. The Baron is one thing, but Monstar could take the planet over, due to the time and place he's from."_

Yvette just shouted then. "Darrett, do you know what that 'Monstar' character is capable of?" Before he could respond, she said, "He was from the future and is very powerful. Who ever fights him has to be well equip for the job."

She watched as Jubilee walked over to her side to help carry Rich. "Geez, what happen to Rich?" She didn't know what exactly happened, but the red aura that had surrounded Rich had really knocked the wind out of him.

She then heard Sean say, "Rich, ye knew the other things he brought forth. What are they?"

She heard Rich say, "Monstar is the villian from a cartoon called 'Silverhawks'."

She then heard a gasp, but it was from Daria. "I use to watch that when I was little. You mean he brought Monstar forward. That is risky. Monstar could take on almost anybody in a fair fight."

She listened as her husband said, "Well Daria, if you ever wondered what it feels like to be hit by the Lightstar, I can tell you, it hurts alot. Maybe a little rest, and I'll be right as rain again."

Yvette looked at Jubilee and said, "'Sis', help me get him to our apartment. I think some music might help him as well." She felt Jubilee help support him as they headed back to the apartment.

Yvette was almost surprised when Rich said, "I have a strange feeling that something is going to happen. Something feels wrong." Yvette wondered if it was an after effect of what had happened, and then wondered if it was something else.


	60. New Powers

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury

New Powers

* * *

I. Grimore

* * *

Grimore walked around the building for the third time that day. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like he had to stay near the apartment. He felt nervous, just like he felt whenever the Cale's had an encounter with Marsh, or any of his kind. As he moved towards the door to the apartment, he heard a noise behind him. He turned to see Yvette and the girl named Jubilee helping Richard up to the apartment. He was startled, if not scared. He ran over to their side and said, "What's wrong with the Paladin?" 

He figured that no one would answer due to the company, but Yvette just said, "He had a rough session, but he'll be alright after a little rest."

Grimore was more worried now. He had never seen Rich look so drained. He didn't want to say more, but he was wondering about Richard. "What exactly happened?"

He then noticed that Jubilee looked at Yvette puzzled and said, "Penny, are you talking to Rich's cat?"

He watched as Yvette just said, "I'll explain later, 'Sis'. Right now, it might be better to get Rich upstairs and laying down." He had to agree with that. Rich did need to recover, since it appeared that whatever hit him took a great toll.

He lead the way to the door and stopped. Something was wrong. He sniffed the air and hissed. "Something's up there." It was a warning, and he saw Yvette's eyes go wide. He then saw the door was ajar. Something was up there, and it wasn't good.

Yvette was first to open the door and he followed her. That was when he saw it. If looked like Marsh, but more hideous. He knew what it was, and what it was after. It was going after the one book, the more dangerous of the two that were in the care of the Cale family. He watched as Yvette ran over to the creature and swung at it. Grimore watched as Yvette struck a blow to the creature. He then heard Rich say to Jubilee, "Jubilee, get my sword over there."

He watched as Jubilee did what he asked. He noticed that Rich just leaned against the wall. Grimore was afraid that Rich wouldn't be able to do much. He then saw Jubilee launch some sparks at the creature. "Hey ugly. Take that," was all the girl could say. As both he and the creature adjusted to the sudden sparks, he heard a crash. When he finally saw something, he saw the book flying into Rich's left hand.

He also heard movement downstairs, and hoped it was someone from the X-Men or Generation X. He watched as the creature slowly advanced on Rich. Rich just said, "You want the book, you have to pry it from my dead hands."

He heard a growl and half expected the creature to lunge at the Paladin, but was surprised as the X-Man know as Wolverine came bounding up the steps, followed by a few of the X-Men and Gen-X. He was started at the speed that Wolverine took the creature down. He then heard the X-Man known as Beast say, "You seemed to be right, Logan. Something was fishy. I'm guessing that Rich's visitor from earlier had expected complications."

Grimore walked over to his master and said softly, "I don't think it was trying for the book, my Lord." He was concerned as Rich slowly slid to the floor. He watched as Mondo ran over and held Rich up.

Mondo just looked at the creature and said, "Definately not a very happy creature. Looks like it is part fish."

He heard Rich faintly say, "With the time it spends underwater, it should look like that. Mondo, help me get to the stand this book was one."

As Mondo helped Rich, he heard Sean say, "I take it you were the target instead of the book." He could tell the Irishman was concerned.

Yvette just said, "I think he believes that. Marsh wouldn't have known if the book was here. If it was here, it was waiting to ambush us." He then saw her look at them and say, "Why did you think something was wrong?"

He heard Logan again say, "Something didn't smell right, and I didn't think Rich could have handled it."

He then heard Sean say, "Besides, we want ye to come down to the med center. After that thing hit you, we wanted to check for any injuries."

He watched as she nodded and said, "Jubilee, could you stay with Rich for a bit. I'm a bit worried about him." He knew that Yvette was concerned, and maybe it would be best for a friend to be here. He saw Jubilee nod and Yvette left with the others. He just stayed there, hoping all would be alright.

* * *

II. Jubilee

* * *

Jubilee watched as everyone left, and then turned to see Rich as he almost fell. She ran over and said, "Rich, are you alright?" She knew that Rich was not in the best of states since what Darrett had summoned had stunned him. 

Rich just started to stand up and said, "I just need to rest for a bit. Could you help me to my bed?" She helped Rich over to the bed, wondering how much that thing took out of him. When she finally got him to his bed, she watched as Rich just laid down. As he did, she heard Rich say, "Jubilee, could you turn the stereo on?"

Jubilee walked over to the stereo and turned it on. All of a sudden, her ears were assulted by an opera. Deep down, she never liked opera, but something about it made her listen to it. She then looked at Rich and said, "Is this the one sent from your friend in Germany?"

She noticed that Rich nodded and said, "Yep. Gabe sent us this. This is the lost Wagner opera."

As it started to go into full swing, she just said, "Rich, what is it about?" It did sound a bit interesting.

Rich just smiled and said, "Well, from what I could get out of what Gabe told me about the first preformance, the hero has been cursed to be a werewolf. You should hear the end of the preformance."

She looked over at him and he just closed his eyes and smiled. He and Penny both knew something about this music. She wondered what was so special about the opera, and then said, "Rich, do you know why Wagner did this opera?"

Rich just said to her, "King Ludwig, the mad king of Bavaria, had requested it." She noticed that Rich wasn't telling her everything. She figured he liked to keep some things secret. At least the intercom was still there, so if any of those creepy things came back, she could call for help. She was almost startled when Rich said, "Jubilee, what do you know about Logan's past with Sabertooth?"

She shivered as he asked the question. "I don't know much. I just know that they hate each other. Sabertooth hates Wolvie so much that he'd kill me just to hurt Wolvie." She knew Rich was worried about that happening since the meeting with Emma's sister.

She noticed the uneasiness in Rich's form as he said, "I wouldn't be surprised if he would be around. I just hope I'm back up to par by then." She wondered more what that thing had done to Rich, but there was no way to know until she heard from the others. She just sat back, listened to the music, and waited.

* * *

III. Jean

* * *

Jean could not believe how much of a lecture Emma could give, but she couldn't blame Emma for her reactions. She just stood back and hoped Emma wouldn't step out of line. She listened as Emma just said, "After your little incident with that Ghen fellow, I'm surprised you would even try something like those two. We'll be lucky if Yvette doesn't have any broken bones. The purpose of these training sessions is to avoid that." 

She watched as Darrett started to speak. "Emma, I didn't think that they would rebel, let alone cause alot of damage."

Jean was almost surprised when Emma almost shouted. "Were you thinking? I mean look at the state you put Rich into with what you called up. I just hope nothing happens that his life is in danger"

Jean was a bit surprised when Sean came in and said, "A bit late for that one. Apparently, Rich's one guest decided to try and ambush Rich. Good thing Logan was here."

Jean could see Emma was about to yell at the boy when Jean said, "Emma, you can't blame Darrett for his mistake. At least things didn't get out of hand." She noticed that Emma calmed down a bit.

She then saw Emma face Darrett and say, "I'm sorry, Darrett. I think my sister's visit here has had me a bit shook up. It's just that with your ability, we get a bit worried when you try something new."

Jean saw the boy nod and then leave the room. After he had left, Jean heard Emma sigh and she asked, "Emma, what's wrong?"

She heard Emma sigh even louder as she said, "We know so little about that boy, yet the less I know, the better I sometimes like it."

Jean then heard Professor Xavier say, "You mean you never tried to even use your powers on him. I guess you have learn some self control." Jean felt abit impressed by that as well.

She was surprised when Emma said, "I'm afraid I'll find all of Generation X's deaths in his mind. I don't think anyone here wants to know how they died in that horrible world he came from." Jean now understood why Emma wouldn't want to use her abilities on the boy.

She was almost startled when Hank walked into the room and said, "Well, maybe Darrett's stunt might have been a blessing. Sean, Emma, I think you'll find this most interesting." She watched as Sean and Emma looked at the document Hank was carring. She could tell they were both shocked. She wondered if it meant something good or bad.

* * *

IV. Hank

* * *

Hank noticed the surprised looks on Emma and Sean's faces. He had been surprised when he saw the results of his examination. He then heard Emma say, "Hank, are you positive about this?" 

Hank nodded and said, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. It appears that when Yvette got her mutant ability, she also got abilities to help her with it. She knows about the psyonic ability to help her communicate, but she also has a healing factor."

He was surprised to hear Everett say, "So what you are getting at is that Penny has recovered from Darrett's stunt. What about Rich?"

Hank just held his hand up. "As I was about to say, this healing factor in Yvette has had a chance to really get a workout. Her imprisonment at the hands of Emplate helped her develop it. I wouldn't be surprised if she's immune to most diseases. As for Rich, I don't think the healing factor is as powerful as Yvette's, but I also doubt it will help. What ever Darrett's creature did, it doesn't appear to be something normal. If Rich is resting, it might be best." After he got done saying what he said, he motioned Sean and Emma over and said, "She did appear to get a broken rib from that bull-like thing, but it's completely healed. I must admit, with her ability, she can vary her size by a bit. She can make herself a smaller target, but she seemed a bit ashamed about that?"

He listened as Emma said, "She's a bit self conscious. Most times, we judged her size when she had used her mutant ability. It's abit harder to judge her now since she isn't tensed up."

He then heard Sean say, "Besides, she feels like the other girls envy her since something happened at one of the slumber parties. One of the reasons we've been trying to get clothing she can't cut through with her skin."

Hank nodded and said, "I guess that would explain some of the self consciousness. I think I can understand her embaressment when it happened at that party." He couldn't totally imagine the situation, but he understood the reason for embaressment. He then looked at Sean and Emma and said, "Do you think she is totally aware of her quick healing?"

He watched as Emma shook her head and said, "No, but no doubt that Emplate is totally aware of her quick healing. It would explain all the attempts he's made to get Yvette back into his clutches."

He then said, "Well, maybe if she is not aware of it, she should be made aware of it. I think she should know about this ability, especially if Rich has this ability as well." He watched as both Sean and Emma nodded. He then led them to the med center.

* * *

V. Monet

* * *

Monet had walked over to the med center when she saw Hank enter the room earlier. Now she wanted to check on Yvette. She wondered how Yvette was doing after the session. She entered the med center, only to see an empty room. She was puzzled and said, "Yvette, are you still in here?" 

She was startled when she heard Yvette say, "I'm back here, getting dressed. This was just like a medical check up." She could hear the irritation in Yvette's voice. She knew Yvette was very shy, especially since the incident at the slumber party.

Monet stepped over to the screen and said, "Yvette, did Dr. McCoy find something wrong?" She noticed from the shadow Yvette case that she was just finishing getting dressed. She then started to wonder what Rich and Yvette did when they were alone, but she quickly got her mind off of that. She realized that when she thought about stuff like that, she was usually putting herself and Everett into the images. She still had a crush on Everett.

She snapped out of her thoughts when Yvette came out from behind the curtain. She saw the nervous look on Yvette's face. Yvette just said to her, "This was weird. He ran tests, and he even cut me. I don't know why he did it, but the cut is gone now."

Monet could tell that their was concern in Yvette's voice when she had said what she said. Monet then said, "Yvette, I think he found something interesting. He was talking to Sean and Emma about it. He mentioned that what he found was a reason why my brother is after you."

Monet could tell the Yvette didn't like the sound of that as she tensed up. "What do you mean by that?"

Monet just said, "Calm down. I don't know what Dr. McCoy found, but you must have a healing factor like Logan's. Your body must heal all your wounds quickly. Think about it, Yvette. It's like a counter to your ability if you injured yourself."

She was startled when Hank McCoy said, "That's exactly what I discovered. I just told Sean and Emma about your healing factor. Monet is correct in her assumption."

She watched as Yvette said, "Is that why you had to cut me?"

She watched as Hank nodded. "Not the best of tests, but for a small cut like that to be healed in a second is extrodinary. Not even Logan has that fast of a healing factor."

Monet thought it might be best to leave at the moment. She felt a small pain in her head, a psychic pain. She hoped it wasn't Claudette. Last thing they needed right now was for Claudette to break free. As she left the med center, she was startled when Professer Xavier said, "Monet, what is wrong?"

She didn't know if the Professer had been informed about Claudette, but she didn't want to say a word about it. She was scared about what it could do if she mentioned it to him. She just shook her head and said, "I think I have a headache. I'm going to head to my dorm room to lay down." She then left the area. She hoped that it was a headache. The last thing she wanted was for Claudette to break free. She wondered if the pain she had felt in her head was from Claudette breaking one of the psyonic locks on her psyonic cell. If that were the case, it wouldn't be long until Claudette would get to the lock Emma put on. Monet entered her dorm room and laid down on her bed, and started to focus on that barrier.


	61. Lashing Out

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury

Lashing Out

* * *

I. Sabertooth

* * *

He looked around and tried to figure out where his quarry would be hiding. Victor Creed loved the mayhem he caused. Killing for him was a rush, and this little job would be a big rush, and it would be bigger if he took out the 'runt' as well. Creed never liked Logan, and he definatly woundn't mind killing everyone that Logan cared about. This included the little pipsqueak that stopped his rampage at the X-Mansion. He knew Logan was there, and he also knew that Jubilee was there. However, his main target this time was some twerp called Richard Cale. Only problem was, he didn't know where this Richard Cale would be. He also stayed up in the trees. Then he thought about what he was looking for. The pipsqueak would know. He made his way through the trees until he was close to the girls dorm. He knew that she would be somewhere in the dorm, or that she would return to the dorm. He then noticed movement at one of the attic windows. He looked over only to see a cat. He just muttered, "False alarm, but I can wait." He could wait. Sabertooth had been waiting for a moment like this for a long time, and he was definately going to enjoy it.

* * *

II. Rich

* * *

Rich sat up and looked over at Grimore. His cat had been purched at the window, and now he could tell Grimore had seen something. Rich got off the bed and said to Jubilee, "I think something is up. Grimore looks nervous."

Jubilee, who had stayed with him when Yvette left for an examination, said, "Maybe it's the music. It is getting a bit creepy."

Rich just shook his head. "No, something is wrong. I can feel it now." He walked over to Grimore's perch and said softly, "What's wrong?"

His cat didn't look at him, but said softly in return. "There is something, or someone, in the tree out there. It's big and seems very hostile."

Rich felt the fear building in him. He instictivly grabbed the sword. He swallowed and said, "Grimore, can you tell me anything else?"

Grimore just said, "It's mostly orange, and it looks like it has a mane. It just looked in the other direction."

Before Grimore could say another word, Rich saw Jubilee come over to him and she said, "Sounds like there are three wolves in that piece. I heard the guy say something like wolf." He looked at her and she could see it in his eyes. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

Rich just said, "There were only two wolves at that debut. That last growl wasn't a wolf. We have to go." He saw she had run to the steps in a panic. He quickly followed, but was startled by the crash of a window.

He heard the voice with a inhuman growl in it. "Alright pipsqueak, I know you're in here." He saw the figure and his sword instantly was ablaze. The figure saw him and said, "I don't know you are, but I have a feeling you're Cale." Rich ran down the steps quick and slammed the door shut. It locked but it wouldn't hold. He heard Sabertooth slamming on it hard.

He ran after Jubilee and she said, "He's not gonna stop." He heard the fear in her voice. As they ran down the steps, she said, "How did you know he was near?"

Rich heard the door break and said, "Grimore saw him." He noticed that the cat was at his side. As they continueed down the steps, Rich just said, "We need help. I don't know if we can handle Sabertooth alone." He saw her nod and Rich said in his mindlink with Yvette, _"Yvette, Jubilee and I are in trouble. Sabertooth is here."_

He could sense the fear in Yvette when she said, _"Oh God. Are you both alright?"_

_"For now, but he's hot on our heels. Get everyone over here, especially Logan and the other X-Men."_ He heard the stairwell door shatter and looked up to see Sabertooth enter the stairwell.

As both he and Jubilee exited it on the main floor, he heard Yvette say, _"Monet is at the dorm. She might be able to help."_ He knew what she meant. Monet's strength might be an asset He ran to Monet's door and pounded on it.

She openned the door rather quickly and said, "What is with all the noise?"

Rich just said to her, "Don't ask me, ask Creed. He's here and after Jubilee and myself." He was surprised at how fast she moved. She just grabbed him and Jubilee and flew out the main door.

He saw that they were heading towards the main building as the X-Men were coming out with the rest of Generation X. When Monet landed, she just said, "It might be easier to fight Sabertooth out here." Rich noticed that Logan had his claws out. This was going to be messy.

* * *

III. Logan

* * *

Logan stood in front of everyone once Monet had landed. When Yvette had said what was happening, he was ready. They all knew why Sabertooth was here, but he was gonna give Creed a hard time getting to Rich. The only trick now was not letting Sabertooth get an edge. He then saw Sabertooth come out of the dorm building. He wasn't surprised when Sabertooth slowed down and growled. "Well 'runt', you think you can stop me this time?"

Logan ran forward and shouted, "No doubt on that one, Sabertooth. I ain't gonna let you harm anyone here." He was surprise then Sabertooth jumped to the side. He quickly stopped himself and spun to face Sabertooth again.

Sabertooth just growled and said, "I'd love to dance with you Logan, but I've got more important things to do." He watched as Creed turned and headed towards the students. He had to detain Creed even longer.

Logan ran over with claws extended. What he needed to do was injure Creed. He needed to buy them some time. He still didn't think that the kids were ready to handle Creed. As he neared Creed, Logan was surprised to hear Darrett yell out, "Stop him." He then saw the bull from earlier come charging at Creed. He wasn't surprised when Creed grabbed it by the horns.

As he looked on and moved forward, he heard Sabertooth shout, "Hey 'runt', catch." Sabertooth threw the bull right at him, and the bull sent him flying. When the both landed, her heard the bull mutter something, but he felt the muttering too in his shoulder where the one horn had impaled him. This was not good.

Everett knew that Sabertooth wouldn't stop. Sabertooth was hellbound on killing Rich, and even Jubilee. Ev looked over at Yvette and said, "Yvette, we got to stop him." He saw her nodded and he said, "I'm gonna synch up with you, it might be enough." He wasn't sure if it would work, but they didn't have much time.

She nodded and said, "I don't want my husband dead. Let's do it." He knew how much she cared for Rich, and really relized how much he cared for Jubilee.

Just as Sabertooth approached the rest of them, he and Yvette moved infront of Rich and Jubilee. He just said, "That's as far as you go Sabertooth." He focused on trying to tense up, but only got it to a certain point.

He saw Yvette had tensed up her hands to the point they were claws. He also noticed that her hair was also tensed up, but nothing else. She just said "Any closer and you'll wish you were dealing with Wolverine." He had a feeling that the teachers were holding back, but the others were getting ready.

He heard Creed laugh as he swung his arm. Everett then felt the pain. Sabertooth had slashed his chest, and Yvette's as well. He collapsed to the ground, holding the cut. He heard Sabertooth say, "Nothing but a bunch of wimps." Everett knew about Yvette's healing power, but did he get it.

He felt faint when he heard a voice say, "Jean, shield Everett and Yvette." He didn't know who said it, but the next thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a bright flash.

* * *

IV. Jubilee

* * *

Jubilee was miffed now. Not just miffed, she was pissed off. Creed might have killed the one guy who meant the most to her. Then she saw the dark shadow next to her. Rich was totally upset. She knew what was coming, and she had to agree. She felt the plasma explosion coming. She just shouted, "It ends here Sabertooth." 

She pointed her hands right and Sabertooth as did Rich. She heard Xavier yell, "Jean, shield Everett and Yvette." That was when the fireworks began. The explosion would have leveled any of the buildings if they were inside. The force of it send Sabertooth flying. She didn't know which direction Sabertooth was flying, but he was flying to someplace far away.

After the blast ended, she looked over and ran to Everett. "Ev, are you alright? Please be alright."

She saw Rich run over to Yvette and pick her up, "We have to get them to the med center." He was right. She did the same with Everett and they all ran inside, all except Monet. She had collapsed right there, and Darrett helped get her in. She also saw the look in Darrett's eyes. He was upset. She wondered why he was upset, but right now, all that mattered was making sure Everett didn't die.


	62. Consequences

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Power Of Mind, Power Of Fury

Consequences

* * *

I. Rich

* * *

It had taken some time, but Everett had stablized. Rich sat at Yvette's side as he looked over at Everett. He looked at her and said, "Do you think you'll be alright, my love?"

He felt her squeeze his hand and say, "In a day or so. I don't think Everett will be moving for a few days though. At least the cuts weren't deadly."

She had smiled as she said that and Rich said, "You took a big risk. If you didn't have that healing ability, you might be out of luck. I would have been lost without you." He didn't know how he would have felt if she had died. She was very important to him.

Yvette said to him in their mind link, _"Just make Adrienne pay for this. We know she was the cause of this."_ He nodded an kissed her. It was the least he could do. He stood and left the med center.

When he got to a nearby phone, he heard Sean say, "How's she doing?"

Rich looked over and saw Sean, Emma, and Professor Xavier standing there. "She's doing fine. She'll be fine in a day or so, thanks to her fast healing. She just asked me to do one thing."

Emma just said, "Make my sister pay for the attack." He nodded. He listened as she said, "You understand that if she is in Hellfire, you have to deal with the whole Inner Circle."

Rich nodded and said, "I understand. I'm just going to have the FBI go in and look for evidence of the attempt. I doubt they will find it, but afterwords, I'll let Adrienne know that she messed with the wrong person."

Sean then said, "Rich, did ye mean what ye said about moving?"

Rich nodded again, "Two attacks in one day. I hate to say it, but their is more risk in us staying there then if we move into one of the rooms in the underground part of the school." He noticed that everyone nodded in agreement.

Xavier then said, "Well, the X-Men will help get everything down there. I must say it has been an interesting experience in meeting you. I just wish it would have been more quiet." Rich understood what Xavier meant.

Rich smiled and said, "Thank you for the help, Professor. Now, I should make that phone call. And Sean, Emma, thanks for allowing the move."

He noticed that Emma smiled as he picked up the phone, and she said, "Rich, you'll make a good leader someday. You already show signs of being a crafty businessman." He didn't want to be a leader, but he had to do his best. He then dialed the number for the FBI.

* * *

II. Monet

* * *

Monet opened her eyes when she felt someone holding her hand. She saw it was Everett doing so. He looked at her and smiled and said, "Feeling better."

She sat up and hugged him. She knew she might get in trouble with Jubilee, but she could deal with that. "I was so worried about you. I'm glad your alright."

He returned the hug and said, "I glad for that. I had some time to think about what happened. I realized how much I cared for you." She was surprised. She never knew that.

Before she could say another word, Monet heard a loud echo in the room. "Monet, are you alright?" This worried her abit.

She looked at Everett and said, "Did you hear that?"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Hear what? Calm down Monet." She felt him hug her again, but something wasn't right.

Soon another echo passed through the room, and she got very scared. "I'm fine, Dr. McCoy. I don't know what happened though." Monet jumped up and ran for the door. It was locked. She ran for another door, finding it too was locked. She ran to a window and tried to break it, but it stayed solid. She realized what had happened. She feel to her knees and started to cry. Soon, she curled up into a ball, and kept sobbing. She felt 'Everett's' prescense, but it was no comfort. She knew what it was. She wasn't alright. Nobody was alright. She had just lost the battle of mind over fury.


	63. Preparing For New Attacks

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Old Threat, Old Face, New Threat, Old Face

Preparing for New Attacks

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I. Freeze Frame  
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Freeze Frame jumped into the car just at the last second. The one guard had fired a shot at him before he froze the guard. He heard the bullet hit the car door, but it didn't penetrate the car. Soon, the car sped off, heading out of the city of New York. As the car sped out of the city, he heard Q. T., his teammate, go, "Smart move, lunkhead. You had to try and break into something with alarm systems we couldn't deactivate."

He heard the hatred in his teammates voice. He suspected that Q. T. hated men, but he always wondered why she agreed to be part of their group. He just looked over at her and said, "Well, I thought that Golden would have silenced it. I didn't think it would be that well protected. I mean, Golden has silenced every other alarm in the target sites." He looked at his deaf and mute teammate. During their first raid on Frost Enterprises, they had gotten the devices that allowed him to drive the getaway car. While he couldn't hear, he could see all.

Q. T. just grabbed his shirt and said, "Yea, but he couldn't. We have one hell of a problem now. We have a witness."

That little bit of info startled him. "What do you mean 'we have a witness.' That guard who shot at me didn't see my face, or yours." He felt her hand slap his cheek.

Q. T. just said, "No, but the ones that got to that lab did see our faces."

He laughed and said, "You killed them with that kiss of yours. I saw that." He was afraid she'd do the same to him before he could stop her. His ability was to put people into suspended animation for five minutes.

Q. T. just said, "No, the one guard is alive because he was a mutant. I can only put mutants into unconsciousness. Would you like a demonstation, you moron?" He was almost afraid she was lying as she started to pucker her lips.

He was thankful when the next voice said, "Enough, Q. T., we have to prepare for the next phase, and we need everyone." He watched as Q. T. let go of him and sat back. He turned to his boss, as she said, "We've only been attacking the companies until now. Now we will take care of their owners."

He looked over at her and said, "What's the deal with these two companies, boss?" This was another thing he wondered about.

He noticed how sternly she looked at him and said, "Vengence. That's what this is about. Vengence, and I will arrange a little deal with an associate of mine, and if we fail, I plan to substitute one of you three." He could tell in her eyes that something about this deal was deadly. She then leaned forward and he saw the smile that crossed her face. "Now, listen up, I shall only communicate this once, and I will tell Golden the same thing psyonically. This is the plan." Freeze Frame decided to focus on this plan. He didn't want to fail now, but if he did, he hoped that Q. T. would be one sacrificed. He didn't like her at all.

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II. Rich  
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Richard Cale sat up in his bed. He had come down to the company branch in New York to look at a project one of his scientists was working on. He was in the special apartment that was built into all of the office brances. He ran over to an intercom and said, "What's that racket?"

He waited, and finally he heard a voice on the other end. "Sorry sir, but those attackers just broke in. This time the alarm did work, however, we lost two, possibly three guards."

Richard just sighed. Everytime these attacks happened, he lost a guard or two. He was going to look into these attacks, and the attacks at Frost Enterprises. He and Emma concluded that they were done by the same attackers. He then said, "What was different this time?"

He bit his lip when he heard the guard say, "I don't know sir, maybe the alarm was more than they antisipated. Nothing got stolen, a few things damaged thou."

Rich sighed and said, "Alright, in the morning call the police, I want to talk to them personally, but be ready for the FBI. I may ask them to investigate." He released the intercom and walked over to a phone. He quickly dialed Emma's number at the school.

He waited about a minute before Emma picked up, half asleep, and said, "Hello?"

Rich just said, "Emma, it's Rich. There was another attack."

He heard her concerned voice say, "Where and when?" She was victim to these attacks as well, and was wondering which of them was victim this time.

Rich sighed and said, "They attacked here. They didn't know about the apartment, but they fouled up this time. They triggered an alarm." It didn't make it any better, because he knew that if they hadn't attacked at all, it would be totally better. "Three guards are down, two dead."

He heard Emma say, "Any signs on how it was done. We still know nothing about these attackers."

He understood what she had said, "Not yet, but we might have something to go on now. I'm going to call Yvette, and in the morning, I will look into the problem."

He listend as Emma said, "Alright, I wish you were here for the new student. You are considered one of the headmasters now."

He rolled his eyes as he said. "I know, but it does seen awkward. A student also being headmaster." That didn't really help all the stress he was under lately. After the incident with Sabertooth, these attacks started and had been going on for two months. He then said, "However, I'm sure Yvette can handle the task. Besides, I may be here a few more days."

Rich waited as Emma said, "Alright, you will let Yvette know what to do. By the way, why don't you call her psyonically."

Rich just said, "No, I need to do it this way. I need to let her know that when I'm here on business, she will have to phone me. You understand that, don't you?" He heard a sound of acknowledgement on the other end. He had gotten his point across. He then said, "I will be in touch." He hung up the phone and waited. What would he say to Yvette? She seemed a bit unhappy that he went alone to the company.

He finally dial the private number to their apartment. He waited patiently until he heard his wife say, "Hello?"

It made him feel a bit better to hear her voice. "Sorry to wake you, love, but I needed to tell you something."

He could hear the joy in her voice when she said, "It's alright, but why didn't you do it through our mind link."

He understood her confusion, but he needed to talk to her on the phone. "My love, while I'm here, I need to talk to you this way. If you need to call, it should be done this way. Also, you know that the new student is coming tomorrow."

He heard Yvette's voice say, "I know, my love. I'll dress in my best outfit. I was thinking the blue outfit you got me that one christmas." He smiled. She knew that he liked her in that outfit.

"Sounds lovely, and when I get back, I'll have something for you, and treat you to a nice romantic dinner." It was the least he could do for leaving her back at the school.

He heard her ask, "How long will you be gone?"

He took a moment to think and said, "Maybe two days. There was another attack tonight, and maybe I can find out who it is."

He heard a concerned tone in her voice as she said, "Be careful. I hope it's not Emplate. I don't want to lose you."

He hoped it wasn't Emplate as well, but it didn't seem like Emplate. He then said, "I don't think its him, but I don't know who else it could be. The least I can do is make sure that the right people go after these attackers. Good night, love." He heard her hang up, and he returned to the bed in the apartment. When he laided back down, he wondered who it might be, but he knew of no one who would form a team like this, except Emplate. He had a feeling he would have disturbing dreams tonight.

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III. Sean  
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Sean Cassidy sat in his office and continued to look over the information on the new student. There was no information on the girls mutant ability, just that she lived in fear. He wished that Rich and Emma had both looked over the girl's profile before she arrived, but Rich had to leave when his company called, and both were too worked up over the attacks on their companies. He watched as Emma walked in. She looked like she hadn't gotten the best nights rest. "Rough night, Emma?"

He watched as Emma just looked at him and nodded. He noticed that she had on a white business-like outfit to reflect her professional side. "Yes. There was another attack, this time on Rich's company."

He gasped and said, "Was the lad hurt? I know he said that he'd be in the building." He was thankful when she shook her head. Sean then said, "Yvette would be a basket case if Rich would have been hurt." He knew his 'daughter' well on that. He knew Yvette was a bit upset that Rich had gone alone, and he knew why.

Emma then said, "I don't think they even knew he was there. For once, the alarms got them, but the attackers got away."

Sean looked at Emma and said, "You mean that they had no idea. You think it would have been different if they had known?" He hated to think that Rich and Emma were the targets of these attacks, and that raised a question in his mind. "Ye don't think yur sister is behind it?"

Emma sighed and said, "I don't know. I'm not exactly sure, but I wouldn't doubt it. The thing is, if it is her, she's covering her tracks extremely well." She sighed again and then said, "So what about this student that is arriving today?"

He was almost startled by how she had changed topics, but it was probably for the best. "Well, we know very little about her. All I can get from the Cerebro unit was that her name is Quinn Taylor. Nothing on what her ability is, but that she is a mutant."

"Anything on her background?"

He went through some of the papers he had on his desk. Soon he pulled a sheet out and said, "Yes. Apparently, for a time, she went to a college in Pennsylvania. However, it appears she was chased out of it because she was a mutant."

Emma walked over to his desk and said, "What college? Maybe we can find out something from the dean there. I'd hate to think she was dismissed from there because she was a mutant." He nodded with her though. It was a common and disturbing thought.

When he finally produced a paper, he looked at the college name on it and said, "Here we are. I've never even heard of this place. It's in a small town called Elizabethtown."

He was startled when he heard a voice say, "I've heard of that place." He looked up to see Yvette standing in the door. She looked proper for a first meeting of a student. She then said, "I've heard of that school." He wanted to know how she heard of it, but figure he already knew the answer.

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IV. Yvette  
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Yvette walked in the door as both Emma and her 'father' looked at her. She was amazed when she had heard the mention of the school. Her 'father' then asked her the question she knew he would ask. "Yvette, how do you know about this school?"

She figured that they knew how she knew about the school, but she figured that she should say anyhow. "Rich told me about it. He said that he attended the school before the Onslaught event, but had to leave for reasons he wouldn't say."

Emma then said, "Do you know if Rich has met our new student before?" Yvette started to wonder that as well, but pushed it out of her mind.

Yvette then said, "I doubt it. Rich didn't socialize much in college. He had a few friends, but he doesn't talk to them much anymore." That was true. Since he was here, he didn't talk to his old friends much. She then said, "Besides, with about 1500 kids at a school, he couldn't have met everyone."

She heard her 'father' sigh as he said, "Then we will have to wait until he gets back to ask about our new student." She noticed that he looked at her when he asked his next question, "Yvette, are ye sure yur ok with this?" She knew what he meant by that.

Yvette nodded and said, "I'm fine. I just hope this new student accepts the fact that a student is also a headmaster here." She almost giggled at that thought and then said, "I know Rich finds it a little awkward, but he knows why we have to do it."

She then heard Emma say, "I just wish more of the students were here. With Jono and Paige visiting the X-Men, and Jubilee and Everett visiting his parents, we only have Monet, Daria, and you to represent the girls, and Angelo, Darrett and Mondo to represent the boys."

Yvette nodded and said, "True, but we can still show a good impression. So when is the new student due to arrive?"

She watched as her 'father' got up and said, "In an hour. She said that a friend would arrange for her safe arrival."

Yvette was shocked and said, "Is she in danger?" For most mutants, that was an understatement. Especially with her, she knew that her life was always threatened.

She watched as Emma shrugged and said, "Another of her mysteries. We don't even know what her mutant ability is, but we know she is a mutant." This worried her abit.

Yvette didn't want to get scared, or even think this, but she said it, "You don't think she is working with Emplate, do you?" She heard the fear in her own voice. It was a second instinct in her that made her afraid whenever she thought about Emplate.

She heard her 'father' say, "Calm down, Yvette. Last thing we need right now is you tensing up. I doubt Emplate has any link in this, but the new girl will be ariving in the hour. I want you to check on all the students, and make sure Grimore stays in yur apartment. We don't know if the gal is allergic to cats." Yvette nodded and left her 'father's' office. Now she had to find where everyone was. That, she knew, wasn't always an easy task.

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V. Emplate  
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Emplate was surprise when D. told him who was outside of the lighthouse, and their reason. As he made his way to the door, he heard Elane come up behind him. She was wondering what was going on, and he knew it, not just from his gift, but her pace. He anticipated her question, "What's going on? And did I hear D.O.A. correctly?"

He nodded and said, "You did, and as for what is going on, I plan to find out. It maybe some attempt to get me to leave Generation X alone." He then openned the door and realized that D. was not lying. "I take it you have an offer for me."

The figure just smiled, and he knew it was a genuine offer. "An offer you'd definatly love. I noticed your reaction to the sword Richard Cale held. You know who held that sword before him."

Emplate nodded and said, "The same person who forced me to wear this respirator. How Richard Cale got it is a mystery and I will solve it." He hated the sight of that sword, especially the blazing fire that eminated from it.

The figure just said, "It's his sword because his father held it before him. His father is the one that caused you to be hurt." Emplate now remembered that incident, when he was merged with both his sisters. The fire had seperated them, with the help of the talisman, and his fathers words, but the sword cause a wound in him.

Emplate was almost in a fury and said, "I should have know, especially when I saw that cat. Vengence shall be mine. I take it you plan to get Richard Cale to me without the sword, but what about Yvette."

Elane said, "That bitch won't stand idle as you try to do anything."

The figure nodded and said, "Not unless Mrs. Cale is unconscious." The words struck Emplate quickly. That could only mean two things.

Emplate looked forward at the figure and said, "You mean the two are married now." The figure nodded and he continue his guess, "And it happened when they were in England, didn't it?"

The figure nodded again and said, "And they have something you have longed search for." He felt his eyes go wide, at the sole thought of what he thought it was. The figure then said, "Yes, Richard and Yvette have that book. When I get you Richard Cale, you can strike a deal for his release for the book, and demand Yvette bring it to you, alone or accompanied. I'll go with her and you'll have all you ever wanted." He enjoied the thought of all his powerful dreams coming to a close.

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VI. Elane  
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Elane couldn't believe what she was hearing. Rich and Yvette married, although that had an extra benefit to it. Anything she did to one would cause massive pain to the other. The only thing she didn't like was why this deal was in the works. She looked at the figure and said, "What do you get out of this?"

The figure just laughed and said, "I only want one dimention to control. Emplate has the power to control many with the book in his hands."

Emplate nodded, and said, "Only when you have brought me Richard, Yvette and the book. Now you best go before everyone gets suspicious." He closed the door and started back to his room. Elane quickly ran after him, in shock at what he had done.

She quickly stepped in front of him and said, "What have you done, my love? You could have set us up for a trap." She didn't like the idea of a trap, unless it was one they set.

She felt confidence again when Emplate said, "It's very simple. I could tell our guest wasn't lying. They plan to follow through with it. However, I am suspicious. If they fail, I'm sure they will compensate."

Elane smiled as she realized that they were in no danger at all. She quickly got close to Emplate and said, "Then afterwords, we can have a little victory celebration." She winked at him and kissed him. He knew what she had in mind for a victory celebration, and she knew it.

She felt Emplate embrace her, not biting into her, and say, "I do like the sound of that. I hope it will be a long celebration." She liked the thought of that. She nodded and Emplate said, "Good. Let's plan it right now." She knew what he meant, and smiled. This was going to be a good time to be bad.

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VII. Quinn  
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Quinn looked out the car window as it went up the driveway to the school. She leaned forward so she could be seen in the rear view mirror. The driver glanced back and she started to sign. As she signed, she said, "Remember Golden, tonight you come back and attack with Freeze Frame. You get capture, next night, the boss releases you, and we capture Emma Frost." She watched as he nodded and she sat back. She didn't need to let everyone here know about the trap, however, the boss had done something to prevent them from finding out.

When the car stopped, she saw three people waiting at the door. One was a gentleman with orangish hair, who had to be Sean Cassidy, as her boss had told her. The second was Emma Frost. She had seen the pictures at the company when they raided it. The last one appeared to be one of the students, a girl with red hair and in a blue dress. When she got out of the car, Sean Cassidy said, "Hello, Ms. Taylor. Welcome to the Xavier's. I am Sean Cassidy, one of the headmasters here. This is Emma Frost, one of our other headmasters, and Yvette Cale."

The name struck her mind and she held back what she was going to say. The boss had never mentioned that name before. She smiled and said, "Are you one of students here?"

The redhead nodded and said, "Yes, but I'm also representing my husband since he could not be present today." Quinn now had a hatred for this girl. If her husband was who she thought it was, she wanted to do something to ruin the girl's life. Maybe she'd have to use her ability on her. She almost smiled at the thought of the affects it would have.

Quinn just said, "Well, I hope this place is better than my last school. People wanted to kill me because I was a mutant." It was part true. They wanted to kill her for all the men she killed.

She watched as Emma walked over to her and said, "Well, don't worry. Here, no one will attack you." Quinn smiled, and surpressed a laugh. She wanted to ask Emma who would protect her.


	64. Corperate Mysteries

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Old Threat, Old Face, New Threat, Old Face

Corperate Mysteries

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I. Rich  
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Richard Cale walked into the lab that was almost broken into the previous night. He didn't know much about the project that was going on in this room, but he knew it was like something he had heard about. When he looked around, one scientist said, "Hello sir. Sorry for the state of the lab, but that attack has made this place a basketcase."

Rich nodded and said, "It's alright. So this is the company's top secret project. What, if I may be so bold to ask, is it?"

The one scientist walked over and said, "This is the Gateway project." As the scientist neared him, Rich could tell the man was a mutant, mainly due to the fact that the man had a glow in his eyes. The man stopped and said, "Sir, I didn't know that.."

Rich completed the sentence. "that I am a mutant. It's alright. This company was founded in a mutant friendly town, and you are exempt from the laws that would surpress mutants when you work for Paladin Technologies." It was true. All mutant employees were considered residents of Easton, Rich's home which was pro-mutant. "Now, what is this Gateway project."

The scientist nodded and said, "Well, there is no doubt you have heard of the Age of Apcolypse, the alternate timeline that our world could have followed, and that some mutants are refugees from that age." Rich shuddered at the thought. A world in that maniac's iron grip was not a pleasent thought. The scientist then said, "Well, we were hoping to build a gateway to connect to alternate worlds, and try and help people in them."

Rich really didn't like the thought of crossing barriers in time and space. He said, "I'm leary on this. What if the wrong being comes through? Or we bring someone here that already exists?" The scientist looked down and Rich knew something had happened. "What happened?"

The other scientist said, "About 2 days ago, before we called you, someone came through. They were a mutant, but they disappeared just as they arrived. The only thing is that they didn't go back in the gateway."

He shook his head. They didn't know if this was a good being or a bad one. He looked at both scientists and said, "As of right now, take it apart. Destroy all your records on it as well. If the wrong person gets ahold of this, the world might as well be doomed." They nodded and started on the task. He then said, "Before you destroy all the notes, I want a copy to see who authorized this

As Rich left the lab, he heard the intercom page him. He walked over to the nearest unit and said, "Yes, what is it?"

The voice on the other end said, "Sir, the police are here about the break in."

He nodded and said, "Keep them there and do the standard check. I'll be right over." He straighted his suit and started to work his way to the lobby. He glanced back over his shoulder thinking he was being watched.

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II. ????  
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She watched from a hiding spot that no one had checked in. When she stumbled on the portal, she didn't know what caused it. She didn't know if she had traversed to a better place or not. In the room she watched now, she saw several men in blue suits. From pictures she had seen from her past, they looked like people called policemen. Some were in plain clothes, but more were in uniform. She then noticed as a well dress young man entered the room. When she saw the face she quietly said, "It can't be, can it?"

She listened carefully as he spoke, "Greetings officers, I'm Richard Cale, owner of this company. I'd like to thank you for coming so soon." The voice confirmed her suspicisions. It was him, Richard Cale, however, he wasn't the victim of hideous experiments.

She shuddered as she though of what had happened to him and his wife in her world. This was obviously a different world, one where Apocalypse had not taken over. As she watched the scene unfold, she wondered one question. Why had she been brought here, unless in someway, she was there to protect Richard and his wife from Apocalypse. She nodded and said, "Yes, that's why I'm here, and I will make sure nothing happens to you." She then looked down and saw that guns were pointed almost everywhere. It was not a good sign.

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III. Detective Perkins  
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Detective Perkins was surprised when his one officer pulled out his gun and aimed it at the owner of the company. He had never seen any officer threaten a man for their beliefs. He heard the officer say, "I'm not going to be told by a mutie lover that I can't do my job." He noticed that several men also had guns drawn, but on his officer, and that Mr. Cale was remarkably calm.

He quickly shouted, "Put your gun down, Charlie." He could see that Charlie wasn't going to listen as the gun stayed level and aimed at Richard Cale. Then he saw something and realized how much trouble Charlie was in. Some of the men in the room were FBI agents. He started putting things together and realized that Richard Cale was the same one the FBI was protecting from the mutant maniac, Soundwave. He quickly turned and tackled his officer to the ground. "Have you lost your mind?" was all he shouted to the man.

The officer just said, "You siding with a mutie lover, sir? He's the kind that makes this world terrible for us."

Detective Perkins just said, "Yes I'm siding with a 'mutie lover', but I'm siding with FBI as well. That guy is under federal protection. If you're lucky, he won't press charges."

The officer just said, "He has no right. Mutie lovers are like muties, not human." For the first time, Detective Perkins noticed the pin the officer wore. It was for the hate group known as the Friends of Humanity.

He saw the FBI agents right next to him and said, "Here, lock him up for attempted murder. I don't really care if anyone thinks he was right." He didn't care if it went over well with the other officers, but he was going to respect the owner's wishes. He then walked over to the owner and said, "I'm sorry about that. I didn't know that such a good officer would go ballistic over a thing like that."

He watched as Richard Cale nodded and said, "I'm just glad he didn't pull the trigger. I must be honest, that's one of the reasons I had to have you answer those questions at the door. Paladin Technologies is a mutant friendly company."

Detective Perkins let a small laugh out as he said, "Well, I guess no one told your attackers that." He noticed that Mr. Cale didn't like the joke and said, "So how long have they been attacking?"

Richard Cale just looked at him and said, "About two months, but this time they slipped up. Plus, there was someone who saw the attack, but he's unconscious right now."

The detective started to wonder if Richard Cale was leaving out some facts and said, "Alright, how about you start from the top." He watched as Richard Cale nodded and led them to a room. He felt that this would be a long conversation.

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IV. Angelo  
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Angelo walked down one of the halls, talking with Darrett. Although he didn't know much about the boy, he knew somewhat of what he was going through. He also knew Darrett had some problems to sort out, but he wanted to talk to another guy about the new girl that had arrived. "Hey, Darrett, have you seen the new girl yet?"

He watched as Darrett nodded and said, "So, it's just another person around here." Sometimes Darrett seemed pessimistic.

Angelo was a bit in shock and said, "Dude, it's not just another person, it's another babe. You have to admit that she looks sexy." And she did. Angelo had never seen a girl look that good, but she also seemed abit plain. "I wonder if her ability is linked to her beauty."

He noticed that Darrett still did not care. Before he could say another word, Darrett just said, "Pardon me if I don't get excited, but I'm sort of leary of girls since that whole incident with Claudette." Deep down, Angelo couldn't blame him, mainly on what they had learned about Claudette, but giving how he looked, he'd kill for that attention.

He was startled when he heard a voice say, "Who's Claudette?" He turned to see the new girl, Quinn, coming up behind them.

He didn't want her to worry, since today was just her first day. He still remembered hearing about Rich's reaction when he first saw the image of Emplate. "You'll find out in time. So what do you think about the school so far?"

He noticed she just shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. I hope it's well secure. I'd hate for any of those people that tried to harm me to get in and hurt me."

He just smiled and said, "It will be alright. We have one of the best security systems here. If something is going to happen, we know about it first." He felt a little proud about it.

He was surprised when she walked up to him and said, "Well, I hope you protect me if anyone does attack." He watched as she winked at him and then walked off.

He was somewhat in shock, but he heard Darrett say, "Be careful. You might get hurt."

Angelo watched as Darrett walked off and said, "I doubt it. I can tell that she likes me." He turned to follow Quinn, but she had disappear. At least she was someone here instead of someplace he couldn't go again, like Torres.

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V. Emma  
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Emma sat in her office chair as Yvette literally collapsed in another chair. She heard her student say, "I never knew how much would go into what you do for these." She knew what Yvette was talking about, but she wanted to wait for Sean to enter before she said anything else.

Soon enough, Sean entered the room and shut the door. She watched as he glared at both of them and said, "Alright, while I don't like what you did, what did ye find out?" She had told him that she and Yvette would try and get into the new girl's mind, to find out what none of the other methods could find out.

She sighed and said, "Nothing. We found absolutely nothing." It upset her that she had failed in something she had no trouble in doing before. "It's like she's conditioned her mind to mind probes. Not even Yvette's variation of telepathy could break the barrier."

Sean looked at Yvette and sighed, "She put her all into it." She nodded, and he said, "I guess that means we might have to wait for either Everett or Richard to return."

She nodded and said, "Yes, it looks that way, and we don't know when either is due back. I hope Richard is the one who returns first." She was surprised when the vid-phone rang. When she pushed the button for it, she was surprised when she saw who was on the other end. She smiled and said, "Rich, how good of you to call. We were just talking about you."

She was caught off guard when she heard him say, "I know, my ears were burning." She noticed as Rich looked over at Yvette and said, "My goodness, what happened that Yvette's so tired."

Emma decided to answer the questions and said, "We tried to probe our new student's mind. She has some strong defenses. Unfortunately, we couldn't get through. We hope you can when you get back."

She was surprised when he said, "I should be able to return the day after tomorrow, maybe sooner, but I want to make sure the attackers are properly taken care of. Almost had a shoot out here in my company."

She watched as Yvette almost perked up and said, "Are you alright, dear?" Emma could hear the concern in Yvette's voice.

Rich smiled and said, "Yes. Luckily the police officer that went nutso was taken away. I guess I lucked out on that one."

Emma looked at the screen and said, "Rich, why did the officer go nutso? Was it something you said?" She had a feeling he wasn't telling the whole story about what happened, and she had an idea why, glancing over at Yvette.

Rich nodded and said, "I didn't want to say this part, but you've backed me into a corner. He was part of the Friends of Humanity. He didn't think I was a mutant, or if he suspected it, he knew enough not to shoot outright. The FBI bodyguards are earning their pay, however, I did have to do some reassuring that I wasn't trying to hinder their investigation."

She heard Sean say, "Very risky, lad. Just be careful."

She watched as Rich nodded and said, "Well, tomorrow, we will know something about our attackers. Also, I need a favor of both of you."

Emma looked at Rich and said, "What do you need?" She was surprised how calm he was. He seemed to act as if the attack had never happened at all.

He then said, "I need you to find out from any of the X-men if they know anything about the 'Age of Apoclypse'. Apparently, my scientists found a way to access it, and something came through, however, they don't know what." She found it an odd request, but she knew who to ask. She nodded and said, "Alright, I'll call tomorrow, when I know more about our attackers." She was surprised when he killed the connection.

She just looked over at Sean, and before she said one word, he said, "I know. I'll try and get in touch with Bishop, he'd know more than any of us." She nodded and watched as he went to the door. She was then started when she saw Monet standing at the door as he openned it. Apparently she was just about to knock to come in.

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VI. Yvette  
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Yvette watched from the chair she was sitting in as Monet entered the room. She was startled when Monet said, "I'm sorry for interupting, but I noticed that Yvette seemed a bit washed out. Is something wrong?"

Yvette didn't know if she should answer, but Emma answered the question for her. "We were trying to find out something about our newest student. However, she appears to have a few mental blocks up that we can't get through."

Yvette then said, "It's taken a drain on me. Maybe I should head back to the apartment." As she got up, she felt like she was about to collapse. She almost did, until Monet quickly grabbed her. She faced her friend and said, "Thanks Monet. Maybe I might need some help."

She heard her 'father' say, "Monet, could you help Yvette get back to her and Rich's apartment." She watched as Monet nodded, and then he said, "Yvette, you better just rest." She nodded and Monet helped her out of the office.

As they continued down the hall, Yvette said, "Monet, what do you think of Quinn?" She honestly hadn't had any bad feelings about Quinn, but she wanted to know what others thought. She watched as Monet looked around puzzled. She then said, "Monet, do you know where we are going?"

She was surprise when Monet said, "No, I think I was unconscious when you and Rich moved." She then remember that Rich and she moved when Monet was in that severe shock.

Yvette smiled and said, "I forgot. Follow my lead then." After she said that, she gave a slight tug to lead Monet in the right direction. She knew Rich had picked the particular underground rooms because it was secluded and very difficult to access. She liked that as well.

As they continued walking down there, Monet said, "When you asked about Quinn, she seems to be alright. She seems to be a well rounded woman, however, she does look like she could use some physical improvement, like a better diet."

Yvette almost nodded in agreement. Quinn didn't dress to suit her appearance. She then said, "Well, maybe it's linked to her ability. Maybe she can't hold a a phyical shape too long. I will admit, she does seem a bit overweight in some areas, but in other area's she seems skinny."

She watched as Monet nodded and said, "That's another of her mysteries. I hope nothing happens until we find out more about her. Think of her like a kindred spirit. You, Quinn and I seem to be full of mysteries when we first arrived here."

Yvette nodded to that statement and then realized where they were. "Monet, this is the apartment. Could you help me over to the key pad." She appreciated Monet's assistance. When she finally unlocked the door, she turned to Monet and said, "Thanks, I can handle myself from here."

Monet looked at her and said, "Are you sure, Yvette? If there is anything else I can do, just say so."

Yvette found this a little odd, but Monet had acted different since the incident with Claudette. "No, I'll be fine. You might want to rest up though, Emma said something to me earlier about a training session tomorrow." She entered and closed the door, locking it behind her. Even though they were in a secret part of the underground area, Yvette and Rich always felt safer with the door locked.

She felt like two things would help right now, sleep and a shower. She started to get everything ready for a shower when she heard Grimore say, "Long day, mistress?"

She nodded and said, "Yes, it has been a long day, and tomorrow may be the same. The new girl is a mystery." She wondered if Rich had ever told Grimore about why he left the college he attended. She said to the cat, "Grimore, why did Rich leave the college he was at?"

She looked up in the mirror as Grimore said, "Well, there was Onslaught at the time, and the murders at the school. He only said to me that he stumbled across the murderer by accident, and figured it would be better if he never explained how he knew." She realized part of what that meant. The murderer had been a mutant, and she started to wonder if it was the new student.

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VII. Quinn  
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Quinn was getting tired of waiting. The boss had told her to wait for them before striking at anyone. The whole plan revolved on an attack from both sides, but only at the right time. There were to be two strikes, a fake one, and the real one, however, some of her recent discoveries made her want to forget the plan. She was startled when she heard her boss say, "Upset at finding out he was here?"

Quinn tensed up and spun around to face her boss. She was upset and her boss knew it. "Yes, I am upset. If I had know he was here, I wouldn't have agreed to this plan." She almost shivered as her boss approached her and back her into the wall.

Her boss had an upset look in her eyes. "Listen here, Quinn, I picked you because of your hatred for him in general. Out of our rag tag group, you are the one that I can't risk losing at all. You want him to suffer, I want Richard Cale to suffer. We work together, we get the common goal. Also, be thankful that I protected you mind from probing, or they would have known about all this."

Quinn looked at her boss in shock. "You mean they were probing my mind. Who was doing that? Miss Frost and Mrs. Cale?" Her boss nodded and she almost erupted in a fit of rage. "Those voyeurist bitches. I want to get them both back." She then smiled and said, "You said tonight would be a fake attack. What if Emma would disapper tonight, but we kept her hidden somewhere out of the way."

She saw her boss smile as she said, "True, but we need to incapacitate Yvette. Golden and Freeze Frame will arrive in an hour, and I will notify them of the change. Remember, we cannot let Yvette disappear."

Quinn gave her boss a nod and said, "Boss, with one long kiss, Yvette won't be awake for at least two days." Her boss started to laugh, and Quinn said, "Besides, it will be easier to subdue the other guys here." There was more laughter and they left to prepare for the attack.


	65. Fresh Attacks Start

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Old Threat, Old Face, New Threat, Old Face

Fresh Attacks Start

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I. Rich  
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Rich sat at the desk in his office and looked over the notes he had been sent by Hank McCoy. Sean and Emma contacted Hank to send him all the notes they had on the Age of Apocalypse. According to many rumors, it was caused by a single event that had been corrected. Something one of the many time travelling mutants had done, and another one undid. However, there were a few after effects. Hank had included those in his report. The first one Rich noticed was the mutant code named X-Man. Another was the Dark Beast. In Hank's notes, Rich noticed that the two characters were linked. Rich yawned and looked at the scientists notes. They had indeed contacted a probablity line when this world had occured. He started to wonder about who had orchestrated the whole project. He normally got word about these projects, but this one was just brought to his attention. He pressed the intercom button and said, "Dr. Jacobs." That was the scientist who was in charge of this project.

Soon, a voice replied, "He's not here, sir, can I help?" Something sounded familiar about the voice, something in its tone.

Rich just said, "Who had given authorization on this project, and when?"

The voice replied, "I had received it from the man in charge while you were in England."

Rich stopped right there. This was odd. He looked down at the notes again and saw it. He felt himself go numb. The scientist that acted as messenger, with the original idea to try and contact that world, was a Dr. E. S. Nur. Rich looked for the name in the company records, but it did not show up. He looked around his office and realized he didn't have his sword with him. He then said, "I know you don't work here. You didn't think I would let this pass, did you?"

He heard the voice change slightly as it said, "No, I honestly though you would not have let this get by your eyes. I must admit that you will be a worthy foe. I might have to honestly worry about your skills. However, this is mearly observation. When the time is right, you will do as all your predessesors have done when they have faced me."

Rich knew he wouldn't try it now, but Rich was still scared. Rich pressed a button on the intercom and said, "Guards, get to the lab."

Almost immediately, a guard replied, "Sir, we are in the lab. When we heard the voice, we came in to investigate. There's a relay device here, almost like it was sending what you were saying to someplace else." Rich was spooked now. He decided that maybe now would be a good time to get some rest. He walked over to the bed, and just collapse onto it. His own fear had drained him. In the morning, he'd look into that, and who his attackers were, as well as shred the notes he had been reading on the project.

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II. ????  
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She glanced into the room and saw that Richard Cale was asleep. She too had heard the voice, the voice of Apocalypse. He was already planning Richard's death. She hoped that he wouldn't be in danger. Apocalypse had killed his parents personally, but had missed Rich entirely, until he had returned in her world. She used her abilities to enter the room. She walked around the room, and over to the desk. She looked at what was on the desk. She found notes on the device that brought her here. She then saw the notes on her own world. When she saw the name on them, she spoke aloud. "No." She then saw more. "He's here, and there is also a good version of him here."

She heard movement and saw Richard toss and turn. It was obvious to her that he was having a troubled sleep. As she neared him, she found another of the stories to be true. She watched as his face slowly showed the same birthmark that hers had. It was odd to look at. She was almost in awe when she heard the door open and a man say, "Mr. Cale." She turned and he saw her. "Freeze." She took that moment to get out of there.

She had returned to her hiding spot. She watched as more men entered the room. One was by Richard as he said, "Sir, are you alright?"

She watched as Richard slowly got up and said, "Yes, but what is going on?"

The man said, "We spotted an intruder, but she got away. I don't know if she was going to attack you or what." She watch as Rich said something quietly and they left. She didn't know what he said, but maybe he sensed that she wasn't there to harm him. She decided then that it would be best to rest.

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III. Yvette  
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Yvette was surprised when she felt the kiss on her lips. Her first thought was that it was in a dream, but it felt too real. As the kiss continued, she said in the mind link she had with her husband, _"Dear, are you home?"_ There was no answer. It worried her when he didn't answer her like that. Then she remembered that he said he would be a few days. If it wasn't a dream, and he was still in New York, who was kissing her? She opened her eyes to see the person kissing her was the new student, Quinn. She almost screamed, but Quinn kept the kiss up. It wasn't a romantic one that Rich would give her, but it was more like the short kisses they gave each other on the lips. That is except that it lasted too much longer. She went to kick the girl off, but she couldn't. She went to push the girl off, but her hands were pinned down. She didn't want to hurt the new girl, but something was really amiss now. One was how the girl got in, and the second was who was helping her. She tried to tense up, but she couldn't. She realized that she was losing her strength. The more she tried to struggle, the more she lost her strength. Eventually, she couldn't even keep her eyes open, and soon everything went black.

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IV. Quinn  
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Quinn knew that Yvette was now unconscious, and would be so for a day or two. She got up and backed away from the bed. Her boss looked at her and she could see some shock in her bosses eyes. "Q.T., I was not aware of that little affect of your ability."

Quinn knew what her boss was talking about. As she stood their, her outfit filled out, almost matching the body of Yvette. "A unique twist. Now you understand why I always wore baggy clothes. It left growing room, and she needs room where it counts. I can see why Rich married her."

Her boss just said, "If only it was that simple, now we must move fast. We have to get out of here, and respond to the alarm Freeze Frame and Golden are going to set off. I will help Freeze Frame get Emma to the specially hidden location. Tomorrow, we take Yvette there. You are to help catch Golden. Quinn nodded and they both left the room.

On their way back, Quinn said, "Boss, what if Rich relizes what happend?"

She was surprised when she saw her boss smile and say, "I'm betting on it. This is what will lead to his downfall." Quinn smiled at that thought. Rich was the one who had pegged her for the murders on campus at the old school, and cost her alot of power. Now she had her chance at revenge. She smiled inwardly as they ran back to the girls dorm.

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V. Emma  
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Emma sat in her office. It was late, and due to all the attacks at the company, she couldn't sleep. She wondered how Rich managed it. She wondered if Yvette had any factor in it. Her thoughts were disrupted when she heard the alarm go off, but just as quickly, it stopped. She felt fear building in her. She knew Sean would be asleep and said psyonicaly, _"Sean, did you hear that?"_

Soon enough, she heard Sean reply _"Aye, that I did. Malfuntion?"_ She could tell that he was puzzled by the strange action of the alarm as well.

Emma hoped it was that, but something in her knew it wasn't Before she could get a reply out, she heard the door to her office crack open, and two men entered. She just said, "_No Sean, it's an attack. The same ones who attacked the companies. They're here."_ She knew Sean would wake the kids, but she felt she could handle two. She looked at them and said, "You made a big mistake." At least she thought she said it. The one guy shook his head and smiled. No sound. That's how they got past the alarms. One of them stopped sound. She quickly said, _"Sean, be careful, one of them can..."_ When she went to finish the thought, however something had changed.

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VI. Freexe Frame  
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Freeze Frame knew one thing about this target. The boss told them she was a telepath. He figured that she called for help, but his talent would stop her mid-thought. As he held her frozen, he turned to Golden and motioned, "You know what to do." His fellow mutant nodded and openned the door, just in time to let the boss in. As Golden left, he turned to face his boss and said, "What should we do with her now?"

The boss looked at him and said, "Put this on her, it will kill her powers." He looked at the collar and nodded. When it was on Emma Frost, he felt the boss pick him up, and flew them off to the location she had specified. When they landed, she said, "Now get her all taken care of. I want you to also tell her that her demise is being recorded."

As he was getting everything up, he just said, "It seems a shame to do this to her. She got a nice body." He felt a sharp pain as he said that. He almost doubled over as he said, "Sorry boss."

He boss grabbed his head and said, "That's why this is the perfect way for her to die. She flaunts her body, and now she's gonna lose it." He saw the look on her face as she said that. He wondered if she was jealous. When he was done, she flew off. He looked at the now cocooned Emma Frost and shook his head.

He walked over to the one wall, and watched as Emma moved. She looked around, and he could tell she was confused. He then figured she tried to use her abilities. Soon she looked at him and said, "Where am I, and what are you up to?"

He turned on a faucet over a bucket, and it started to drip. He then faced her and said, "Where you are is someplace no one is gonna find you. And what I'm up to is your demise. See that bucket. As it fills with water, the bindings around you get pulled tighter and tighter, eventually crushing you. Since my boss can't be here to watch this, they are recording it. Hopefully, it will be a slow death." He watched as a look of horror crossed her face. He knew that she realized she was in big trouble.

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VII. Sean  
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When Emma was cut off, Sean knew there was trouble. He had a special communications unit in his quarters and called to everyone. As he ran out of his quarters, he saw Darrett, Skin, Mondo, Daria, M and Quinn meeting outside his quarters. It was the new girl that said, "What's happening?"

Sean didn't see Penance, but she was in the same building as Emma's office. He was fearing the worse. "It looks like someone decided to attack us, but I don't think it was over you, lass. Mondo, Quinn, and M stay with me. Darrett, Skin, Daria, see if you can find Penance. I want to be sure she's safe." He watched as everone nodded and they ran off.

As he lead his group to the main entrance, he saw the others head for the back entrance. When they entered, the first thing he noticed was the lack of sound. That's what Emma must of meant. His ability was useless. He saw Mondo merge with the floor and head off in one direction. He watched as M and Quinn headed off into two others. He then heard M say _"Sir, it might help if I link all of us together to speak psyonically."_

He nodded and said in the link, _"Good thinking, M. Everyone, be careful. We have two maniacs on the loose in here."_ He moved slowly from room to room.

Just as he was about to enter the next room, he heard Mondo say, _"Sir, I've found him. I'm going to knock him out."_ He heard a thud come from the room he was about to enter. When he openned the door, he saw a young man on the floor. He then heard Mondo say, "I think we have one of our attackers."

Sean nodded and then he heard M say, _"Banshee, it appears that the other one must have taken Emma away. There is no sign of her or the other attacker."_

Sean shook his head and hit his communicator. "Skin, Daria, Darrett, be careful, we have one attacker still going around." This really worried him. He wasn't sure what they would do to Emma, but he had a feeling that time was going to be limited.

He then heard Skin say over the communicator, "Banshee, something's not right. Grimore is outside the door waiting for us. I think something is wrong." Sean was half afraid that the other attacker was doing something unspeakable to Yvette.

He started in a run to where the couple had placed their apartment and said, "Try and get in there. Last thing we need is for something to happen to two people here." He turned to Mondo and said, "Mondo, get M and Quinn to help you get our guest to someplace he can't cause a problem." He watched as the boy nodded, and then Sean ran down to the apartment.

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VII. Daria  
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Daria looked at the cat. She knew something was wrong just by its stance. After Angelo had called Sean, she noticed that the cat had positioned itself near the door. The mechanical cat flap was staying open. She looked at the others and said, "I'm going in."

She heard Darrett say, "Are you sure you can get in? We don't even know the combination." She didn't want to leave it up for discussion. She used her ability to make herself able to fit through the hole.

She heard Angelo say, "Careful Daria, and try and get the door open. Last thing we need is for any of us to get ambushed." She nodded in agreement.

When she finally got in, she heard the cat follow her in, and she watched as the small door closed. Obviously, the cat was holding the door open for her. She didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean that they weren't there. She heard Grimore meow, and she entered the bedroom of the apartment. She could already tell that Yvette wasn't alright. She hit her communicator and said, "Sean, I think Yvette's unconscious."

She was surprised when she heard the door open. She turned to see Sean entering the apartment with Angelo and Darrett. She could tell that he was upset. He looked over Yvette and said, "Well, I don't know if it was our other mystrey attacker or not, but we need to get her to the med center." She watched as Sean picked up Yvette and carried her out of the place.

As he left, Daria walked over to Darrett and Angelo and said one thing that bothered her. "Guys, I don't know why, but I think something bad is going on. I think there is a spy here."

Angelo looked at her and said, "How can you be sure? They broke into the school, and broke into Rich and Yvette's place."

Daria shook her head and said, "The door was locked, and no forced entry. Plus, Grimore wouldn't allow anyone else in there like he did with us. I think we have a spy, and it's someone who knows the combination to the lock." She saw both the boys nod in agreement.

She heard Darrett say, "It must be Quinn. I don't trust her, and something seems wrong about her."

She would have said the same thing, but Angelo said the one important detail. "Darrett, she just got here today, and she hasn't been down here yet." She nodded in agreement, but it wasn't a comforting agreement. It meant only one thing, the spy was part of Generation-X.

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VIII. Rich  
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Richard Cale stayed in his office most of the morning. The events of the previous evening had rattled his nerves. The first had been the transmitter. To think that Apocalypse has somehow gotten into his company definately unsettled him. The second was what his one guard told him. Someone had been in his quarters, and they had been a mutant. His bodyguard had told him that a mark was disappearing from his face. Rich could only wonder what that meant about the mutant who had snuck in, but something told him that they weren't a threat. He was sitting at his desk milling those thoughts over, when a knock came on his office door. He looked up as it openned and Detective Perkins entered. "Mr. Cale, I came by when I heard that you wanted to talk to me about the video tape."

Rich nodded and motioned the man in. "Yes, I did. I hate to tell you this, but I think the FBI might have to take juristicion on this. I have looked at the tape and discovered something which make me think the attacks are going to escalate to a murder attempt." That was the other thing bothering him.

The detective just looked at him, stunned and said, "How do you know this for certain?"

Rich motioned to the screen and said, "Take a look at the person's face you are about to see." He watched as the detective looked at the screen. Soon enough, one of the attackers faces were caught on film. "That girl is wanted in Pennsylvania. She's a serial killer, and a mutant."

He could tell that the guard was stunned, and then the guard said, "So she's a big time problem, but how do you know she's a serial killing mutant." He wondered if the detective suspected or honestly knew, mainly because of his tone.

Rich stood up and walked over to the detective. "It's because I'm a mutant under federal protection. My involvement in the Soundwave case a couple of years back gave me a special status. I came from a mutant friendly town, but all I wanted was a normal life."

The detective nodded and said, "Hard to do that in this world, but something about you makes me belief your not bad. I've seen bad mutants, and they never acted like you. Tell me, do you think you know where they will attack next."

Rich shook his head and said, "Not really, but I hope that they haven't moved out of the area." To be honest, he hoped they had, but not to where the school was, although Rich was afraid that was where it would come to a head. Rich then said, "I'll need to make a business call. I'll let you know what I can, officer." He watched as the detective nodded and left. Rich then headed for the phone. He wanted to check on Yvette.

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IX. Sean  
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Sean sat in the med center, next to Yvette. He was in shock with all that happened. What had made Yvette go unconscious, and when would she recover. He then wondered if Rich was aware of Yvette's condition. He somewhat doubted that Rich did know, with all that had been going on in New York. He was surprise when he heard Monet in his mind say, _"Sean, Richard is on the phone."_

Sean focused on Monet and said, _"Patch it through down here."_ He watched as Rich's image appeared on the screen. It looked like Rich had had a troubled sleep. He looked at his 'son-in-law' and said, "Rich, I hope ye found out something and are heading back."

He then saw Rich's scared look. He knew exactly what was on Rich's mind, and he could tell the boy spoke what he meant, "Sean, what happen to Yvette?"

Sean had a feeling that Rich knew what might have happened. He just said, "The attackers that have been attacking your company paid us a visit last night. We found Yvette unconscious and Emma is missing."

Rich then said something that surprised him, "All three were there?" Sean never knew that there were three, and if so, that left two unaccounted for.

Sean looked at Yvette and said, "You think the third might have done this?"

"Definately, but I don't think she knows I'm married." The word she surprised him. He wondered if the new girl was somehow involved, and recalled things from the previous day. Rich had gone to the same school as new student. He then heard Rich say, "Sean, I'll leave the office now. I have a picture of the third attacker." He almost got to ask the question when Rich shut off the phone.

Sean sat there for a moment and thought about it. Three attackers, but two went after Emma. What happened to the third? Was it the new girl, Quinn? Only one thing bothered him, Quinn didn't know that Rich and Yvette were in the underground apartment. He just stood and said, "I don't think it's her, but maybe I should just be sure." With that, he left for Quinn's room.

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X. ????  
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She watched from her hiding spot and watch as Richard Cale hung up his phone. She had recognized the man he was talking to. He was an X-Man, like herself, but he was different here. She then heard Richard say, "Make sure my car is ready. I must head back." He was going to leave here. She needed to follow. It was the only way she felt she could fulfill her task.

She used her power and soon she was in the garage. She stayed in the shadows and watched as Richard appeared from an elevator and headed for a red car. As he got in, she quietly said, "I'll help you and your wife, sir." As the car started, she used her ability again, but this time she was in the confines of the trunk of his car. For a brief instant, she almost paniced, remembering her time in the pens, and even worse, the Sugar Man. She didn't know where he came from, but he terrified her and haunted her dreams. Soon enough, she felt the car move, and hoped that Rich wouldn't stop to check the trunk. It took her some time, but she managed to be able to raise the seat so she could keep an eye on him. She also could tell by his speed and such, he wanted to get back to his wife in a hurry.


	66. Old Face, New Foe

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Old Threat, Old Face, New Threat, Old Face

Old Face, New Foe

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I. Emma  
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Emma looked over at her captor as he just sat and watched her hanging there. She knew she was in a dangerous situation. She knew that the collar he had placed on her was preventing her psyonic abilities, but she had doubts about who he was working for. Originally, she had thought he was working for Emplate, but Emplate wouldn't have his group kill them. She looked at him and ask the question on her mind. "Did my sister tell you to do this?"

She watched as he looked and said, "I doubt it. I doubt that your sister is younger than you." She was almost certain that Adrienne might have something to do with this, but now she wondered who it was. He said she was younger than her, which meant to her that his boss was female. She started to wonder if the new student was the head of this little gang, when her captor looked behind her and said, "Hey boss, she thinks your her sister. Isn't that a laugh?" She then watched as her captor yelled in agony.

Her eyes went wide in fright, mainly because she knew who his boss was. It was the one person she didn't expect it to be, but should have realized it. Her fears were confirmed when she heard a familiar voice say, "Sorry, Ms. Frost, but you're not letting anyone know." She felt a blow hit her head, and she was loosing consciousness, she heard her attacker say, "This is for that cage you put me in."

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II. Freeze Frame  
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Freeze Frame slowly got up from the psi-blast his boss gave him. Apparently he had said too much, and the boss was upset. As he got up, he heard her say, "You idiot. Do you want to botch this operation up now? Do you know what will happen if this fails?" He could tell by her tone that it would be something bad, but part of him wanted to know. He shook his head and she said, "I've already promised to hand Richard Cale over to a being called Emplate. He feeds on mutants. He'd love to feed on Richard Cale, but if I can't deliver Richard Cale to him, I'm gonna substitue some one from the group, and guess who's front runner for substitution."

He was scared now. He started to back away from her and said, "Why me, why not Golden or Q.T." Honestly, he wanted to see Q.T. gone more than Golden.

His boss closed in on him and said, "Because, Golden can't speak and he's proven very useful. I've seen Q.T. in action, and have no doubt that she can take out every guy here with her new physique. Besides, she loathes Richard Cale, because he stopped her killing spree a few years back."

He was half surprised by this. He didn't know the past Q.T. had, and didn't realize how expendable he had become. He was almost grasping for his words as he said, "W-what about the plan?"

His boss smiled and said, "You break Golden out and get Yvette Cale here. Be careful how you bind her. I don't want her to wake up and break free. Then prepare to stage an escape with Q.T. That's when everying will go down." He nodded and she left. He knew the extent of his dilemma now. He didn't want to die, and if he failed, he might as well be dead.

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III. Quinn  
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Quinn sat in the lounge with the rest of the students at the school, except for one, but she knew why that student wasn't there. Angelo was sitting next to her. Daria and Mondo were sitting on another seat, and Darrett was standing over in a corner with a man she had never seen before. As they all sat there, she leaned over and softly asked Angelo, "I know I'm new here, but why is everyone so worried about Yvette?"

Angelo looked at her in the eyes. She could tell he was entranced by her charm, and maybe her new look had a part in it. "Well, you see, Yvette was a prisoner of the being named Emplate. He feeds off mutants like us. On our first days, Yvette was left here, and Emplate attacked us trying to get her back."

She then heard Mondo say, "She was very scared. It wasn't until Rich came that she started to speak aloud." She hated to hear that. Rich had ruined all her plans a few years ago.

She did wonder how Rich had managed this, because it might explain how her ruinned her plans. "How did Rich do this?" She felt finding the answer to that question would mean getting an answer to Rich's discovery of her tasks back at college.

Quinn was almost startled when she head Sean say, "Rich's ability is to fully mimic a mutants ability. In some cases, he doesn't have to fear about the mutants ability affecting him." That must have been it, the reason she couldn't kill him, or comatose him at the college. She then noticed that Sean was still looking at her as he said, "Quinn, I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about your past, like what happened at yur old school."

She was wondering if he suspected that she was the one who put Yvette in a coma. She had to think quick, and it hit her. "Well, Mr. Cassidy, I was a freshman at my college, Elizabethtown College."

She watched as Sean nodded and said, "I know that ye went there, but it appears that Rich had gone there as well."

She had to really lie now, and hope that he would buy it. "I can't verify if he was there at the same time or not. I tended to stay with a small group, which had included my boyfriend at the time. We were very close until one day when I stepped out of the room for a moment, and when I returned, he was dead." She started to cry, as if it had bothered her. She felt Angelo put his hand on her shoulder. She continued by saying, "My roommate, who never liked me from day one, said I was the murderer and said I was an evil mutie. I had never told her I was a mutant."

She heard Angelo say, "That's terrible."

She then heard Sean say, "Hmmm, well, I was wondering what had happened that you left your old school. Anyhow, Rich is on his way back everyone, and maybe we can get some words out of our silent attacker down there."

As Sean left, she watched as Darrett and the other man left to follow. She then said to Angelo, "Angelo, could you come walk with me to my room. I just feel all worked up after reliving that terrible memory." She watched as Angelo nodded and with that, she lead him off to her room. Soon, another of Generation X would fall.

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IV. Darrett  
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Darrett followed Sean and when he felt they were out of earshot of the other room, he said to Sean, "Sean, do you think Quinn is at the bottom of this?" He suspected her, but what Daria had said earlier struck a note.

He heard Sean say, "Lad, I don't know. It is weird, but we don't even know how the attacker got in. That lock's combination is know only by Rich, Yvette, myself and Emma. I doubt Emma had told them."

He watched as Henry, his almost constant compainion said, "You know, Darrett mentioned to me that they think there might be a spy here. He hates to think it's a member of the team." It was true, he had mentioned that to Herny.

He watched as Sean stopped short of the Med-Center. Something in Darrett knew that Sean was thinking about that very scenerio. He watched as Sean shook his head and said, "I don't think it's that. If it was that, we'd have to check Mondo, Daria, Angelo, Monet, and yourself. If there is a spy here, they are hiding themselves well."

Darrett thought about it. None of the others had a reason to do something like this. He wondered what could be happening when he heard a slight crunch. He looked over at Henry who was looking around the corner and said, "Henry, what was that sound?"

He watched as Herny looked down and said, "Apparently glass from the broken window over here at the med center." Darrett saw the look of horror cross Sean's face. He knew what Sean was thinking.

As they turned the corner, he could tell he was right. "They took Yvette." He watched as Sean brought up a security camera trained on the room where they placed the captured attacker, but the screen didn't light up.

Sean shout aloud, "Damn, they got that boy out of there and took Yvette. How did they get by the security." Now things were really getting bad. First Emma was gone, now Yvette was gone. Deep down, Darrett knew that Quinn couldn't have done this. She was with Angelo, unless. No, he didn't want to think that. He didn't want to think that Angelo had betrayed them. He then said, "I'm sure now that Quinn isn't our third attacker. This happened when I was looking for her. She was with you and Angelo, right Darrett."

He nodded and said, "Yea, she was, as well as Daria and Mondo. The only person not there was Monet." He then had another gastly thought.

He saw Sean look at him and say, "I have an idea about what yur thinking, and it can't be. Emma and Monet both made sure Claudette couldn't escape. Maybe Aura is here." He nodded. It had to be that. It couldn't be Claudette. He then saw Sean run off in the direction of the main hall. He followed, and saw that Henry was following as well. He made Henry disappear. He didn't need Henry right now, but he might need something with strength if an attack was starting up again.

When they reached the main hall, he saw Rich running in the front door. He saw how worked up Rich was. He wasn't surprised when Rich asked, "Sean, what happened to Yvette?" He knew how much the two cared for each other, even in his own timeline, they cared for each other.

Sean just said, "We found her unconscious, like she was in a coma. Now she's missing, and the attacker we had captured escaped."

Darrett watched as Rich pulled out a picture and said, "Was she one of the attackers?" He was almost in shock. The face in the picture was Quinn.

He heard a gasp as Monet entered the room. It had been the first time he had seen her since the attack. "That's Quinn. She was entering her room with Angelo." He then watched as Rich went pale and he ran off. Soon, he followed with the others.

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V. Angelo  
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Angelo couldn't have believe that Quinn wanted to be with him, but he wasn't going to ignore it. Quinn was cute, but she seemed different then yesterday. As they sat in her room, he said to her, "You went to school at the same college Rich did. What was it like there?"

He watched as she sat closer to him and said, "Well, there were more girls than guys there, but I think I was the cutest there. I think that's why they blamed me for the murders. They were jealous of my looks, and how all the guys liked me."

Angelo was a bit startled by that, and then said, "Didn't that bother your boyfriend at all?" He started to notice something as she was sitting closer to him. Her build was almost similar to Yvette's.

Quinn looked him in the eye and said, "It did, but when I kissed him, he forgot about it. I think I have a kiss no one can forget." She then winked at him. "You know, you do remind me of him. You're as sexy as he was. You're not seeing anyone, are you?"

Angelo looked at her and said, "No, but I'd like to be dating you." He was almost surprised when she pulled him down so that they were lying on the bed, and she kissed his cheek. He looked at her and said, "You like to go fast, but what if someone comes in here?"

She smiled devilishly and said, "They can't. I locked the door." He started to realize that she had this planned. She then started to kiss him on the lips. As she kissed him, he though he heard a knocking on the door. The knocking got louder, like someone was trying to get in. He then saw her eyes. There was an evil look in them. He realized that she didn't like him. She was doing something to him. Then it hit him. Quinn was the one who made Yvette go unconscious, and she was doing the same to him. He noticed that his skin was oozing off him, like he was loosing his concentration, and he was.

Soon, he felt drifted into unconsciousness.

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VI. Rich  
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As Rich ran through the halls, he heard Sean say, "Rich, you mean our new student is the third attacker, but how did ye know." He couldn't believe that she was a new student. Something more was happening. She had to have been planted there. She had help, but who would help her.

As they made there way to the girls dorm, he said, "Quinn Taylor was at my college when a bunch of murders happened. No one knew how all the victims were being murdered. Then I sort of stumbled across the murderer. It was Quinn. I was suppose to be her next victim. She usually butters some guy up before she saps their energy with her kiss."

He heard Monet say, "You mean she plans to kill Angelo with her kiss?"

He shook his head. "No, Quinn can only make a mutant unconscious. Also, she can steal looks from women if she kisses them."

He heard Darrett say, "Which would explain why Yvette won't wake up." When they reached the door to the room Quinn had, he started to ram it. He heard Darrett say, "I knew that girl was no good."

Rich then said, "My question is, how did she get into the apartment, unless she had help. I know Yvette, and she would lock the door at night." He started to wonder if Apocaylpse had some how gotten onto the campus. Just as the thoughts entered his head, he said, "No, he can't be here."

He heard another person ramming the door, and saw Sean putting his all into it. He heard his teacher and father-in-law say, "Who can't be here, Emplate?" He shook his head and he saw the look on Sean's face. "Ye mean Apocalypse, don't ye?" He nodded, and Sean said, "I definately doubt that, but ye must have a reason to worry?"

As they continued to ram at the door, he said, "He got into the company, set up a project to connect to the age where he ruled. Something came through, but I terminated the project. He said he did it for gathering information."

As they continued to hammer on the door, he heard Monet say, "Do you know why he was there?"

Rich just continued pounding on the door, "He said he was looking into his advesary. It scares me, and I wonder if he's behind the attacks." Soon the door gave way, and he saw Quinn openning a window. He also saw Angelo unconscious on the bed. He looked at her and said, "You bitch."

She smiled and said, "You ruined my fun. Now I'm gonna ruin you." He watched as she jumped out the window. He ran over and saw another man a few paces away. She said to him, "Come on, Freeze Frame, has Golden got our guest to the hideout." He saw the guy nod and they ran off.

He went to jump out the window when Sean grabbed his arm. "Skitz, ye can't go charging after them. Not alone at least."

Rich nodded and said, "You're right, Banshee. And the others should search for Emma and Yvette. I don't think they are heading to where the others are being kept."

He heard M say, "I'll go with you Rich. You might need some telepathic help." He nodded and she said, "We all have to be careful. Look at what happen to Skin."

He cringed when he saw Angelo lying there. At least Angelo wasn't dead. He heard Banshee say, "Alright, you two start out, I'll get the rest, and we'll get Skin to the med center." When that was said, he and M jumped out the window.

As they followed the trail, he softly said to M, "M, do you have any idea who might be helping them. I don't know who's the mastermind of all this." He then noticed that M was staying about 5 feet behind him. He thought that she was going to allow him to use their ability against them. He then heard voices up ahead.

He stopped short and listened careful as he heard Quinn say, "Now, all we have to do is wait for the boss, and I hope she shows up soon." He saw her and noticed that her figure was changing. He wondered if that meant Yvette was going to be awake soon.

Sure enough, in his head, he heard her say, _"Rich, can you hear me?"_

He heard the worry in her voice and said, _"Yes, my love, I hear you. I've found the attackers. Where are you?"_ He was worried about her.

He then heard her voice, a bit panicked, say, _"I'm with Emma. Be careful, there leader is..."_ He didn't hear the name, because at that time, he felt a punch from behind.

He hit the ground hard, and looked back to see his attacker. He realized who Yvette was trying to warn him about. The true leader of the band was right there looking at him. As he looked at them, it took the last of his strength to say their name. "Claudette."


	67. Don't Blink

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Old Threat, Old Face, New Threat, Old Face

Don't Blink

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I. Yvette  
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Yvette awoke in a strange room. She also felt that her hands were tied behind her, which she easily fixed. She quickly tensed up and soon her hands were free. As she got up, she heard a noise from the next room. She wondered what it was and quickly slashed her way into the next room. Then she saw it. She looked at her teacher and said, "Emma, what happened to you?"

She ran over to where Emma was hanging and cut at the bindings. Soon Emma was free of the death trap, and said, "It's Claudette. She's free again. You've got to warn the others, most of all, Rich." Now she was scared, and everything started falling into place. How Quinn ended up attacking her, Claudette had helped her.

She started focusing on her mind link with her husband. She asked _"Rich, can you hear me?"_

She was overjoyied when she recieved an answer. _"Yes, my love, I hear you. I've found the attackers. Where are you?"_

She quickly realized that might have meant. Claudette must have been with him. She quickly said, _"I'm with Emma. Be careful, there leader is"_ She felt the mental disconnect at that time. She turned to Emma and said, "Emma, Claudette has got him. What can we do?"

She helped her drained teacher up, and then noticed the collar on her. Yvette quickly cut the collar and Emma said, "Well, that's a start. Now we need to get in touch with the others, and find Rich."

Yvette looked at her teacher and said, "What about Monet? How are we going to rescue her?" She could see it in Emma's eyes, that her teacher didn't have an answer. Yvette started to have a bad feeling about this. Claudette was already preparing to give Rich to Emplate, and she was going to be the next handover.

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II. Claudette  
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Claudette picked up the form of Richard Cale and dragged him into the encampment. She looked over at Freeze Frame and said, "Tie him up, and hang him from the tree." She then looked over at Q.T. and said, "Nicely done with Skin, but we have a new problem. I think Yvette has awoken, and might have freed Emma Frost."

She heard Q.T. say, "We can still stop them. What's the problem?"

Claudette just said, "The problem is, Freeze Frame practically gave away who I am. If Emma Frost is free, then she told everone else." She saw how Q.T. glared and Freeze Frame.

She looked at Freeze Frame as well. She watched as he was hanging Rich from a nearby tree. "Don't blame me. I never said your name. All I said was that she thought you were her sister."

Claudette almost went to hit him, but noticed he had stopped moving. She smiled and saw Rich open his eyes. "Claudette, how did you get free?"

Claudette looked up at her captive and said, "It's very simple. The shock over the attack of Sabertooth on Everett hit Monet hard. I just broke free then. Now, I know someone who is waiting to see you." She saw the fear in his eyes, especially due to his situations. She then turned to Q.T. and said, "Take care of his struggles, please."

She stood back and watched as Q.T. smiled and said, "I've been waiting a long time to do this." She enjoyed watching Q.T. kiss Richard, and watch as his struggle died as he went unconscious. When he stopped moving, she smiled and flew off. This change in plans required Marius to get him.

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III. Quinn  
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Q.T. looked up at the unconscious form and then looked at Golden and signed, "I've wanted to do that for years." She then pushed over Freeze Frame. He was still in suspended animation, but that wouldn't last for long. She just said, "You are pathetic, and a good patsy. The boss knew that by having you tie him up, I could easily knock him out." Now, all they had to do was wait. The boss was going to fetch her partner in this caper. She didn't know much about the other party, but something in her told her that Freeze Frame knew. There was a fear in his eyes.

She then turned to faces Golden again, and he was pointing behind her. She turned and saw movement in the trees. Had Generation X found them that quickly? It couldn't be. Then she realized it wasn't, but someone on their side as the figure lunged out of the trees with a flying kick towards her. As the kick connected, she heard the figure say, "He not dying in this world."

Q.T. flew back and knocked Golden down. As she struggled to get to her feet, she got a good look at the girl. She had purple skin, and purplish-red hair. Who was this attacker? She then saw Freeze Frame start to move. She yelled over to him, "Freeze Frame, you idiot, stop her." She noticed that the girl had almost gotten Richard free.

As Freeze Frame stood up and said, "She's not going anywhere." It happened. The girl threw a pike at Freeze Frame and it piereced his arm. It wasn't a lethal blow, but he couldn't concentrate on his ability, but that wasn't the worse of it. She watched as the girl disappeared into a portal. The boss was not going to be pleased.

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IV. Blink  
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She emerged a good distance from the clearing that the attackers were in. She had kept an eye on things when she saw two of them carry Yvette off. But at the time, she saw that Yvette was starting to regain consciousness. Now, all she had to do was keep Richard safe. She watched as people started to gather near where she was. She was amazed at how many of them looked familiar to her. She then saw Yvette helping another person along. The few that were there were glad to see her. She heard the one man say, "Penance, yur alright. Thank goodness ye found Emma."

She then heard the person Yvette was holding say, "I'm lucky she found me. I was very close to being crushed to death. All this must be part of Claudette's plan, and no doubt she off to get Emplate."

She then noticed a handsome young man say, "I hoped she hadn't broken free. If she hands Rich over to Emplate, it could mean disaster." She had to let them know Rich was alright.

She pushed Rich out into view, and she heard a girl with silver hair say, "Everyone look, it's Rich. Someone must have saved him." She watched as Yvette almost dropped the woman she was holding and ran to Rich's side. She watched as others came over as well.

Soon, one man, who appeard like a gentle giant, said, "What's wrong with his face?" She noticed that her birthmark was on Rich's face. She didn't know if she should say anything. They might think she was one of the others.

She heard the irish man say, "Faith and Begora. It cannae be, can it?" He recognized the mark. How did he know who she was, unless, there had been someone like her here. He then said, "Emma, does that look like.."

She heard the woman say, "Yes. It does look like her birthmark, but I thought she died during the Phalanx."

So her version here was dead. She then heard the man say, "She did, but Rich said that something appeared at his company. Maybe it's Clarice's second chance." He knew her name. She knew now that these people were friends, and that she would be welcome there.

She slowly got up, and approached the group. She saw how some where amazed at her appearance as she said, "Sir, my name is Clarice Ferguson. I'd like to join your group." She saw the handsome boy smile at her. She smiled back. This world had to be alot better than the world she left.

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V. Freeze Frame  
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Freeze Frame grasped his arm as the pain of the pike throbbed through him. The others walked over to him and he was scared. The plan had gone to blazes, and he knew he was going to pay. He then saw that the boss was back, rather quickly, with something hideous next to her, and a woman behind that. That must have been Emplate. He heard Emplate say, "I thought you said Richard Cale would be here."

His boss just said, "It looks like someone got lax on their jobs, and I won't be able to reinfiltrate. They are on to me, thanks to Freeze Frame over there." He could tell by her tone that he had become the scapegoat.

He watched as Emplate walked over to him, and looked him over. "He has an ability I can use. He'll make an excellent meal, or servant." He didn't like the sound of that, especially after he saw the hands.

He heard his boss say, "You may have him. I promised you a mutant, unfortunately, it's not my first choice." He watched as the other woman acted as she was picking him up. Then he realized that she was. It truely hit him that he was now dead.

He heard the woman say, "It's not a fair deal, my love." Now he was scared. This woman loved that monster. She must have had a warped mind.

As everything started to change, he heard Emplate say, "It may not be fair, but maybe I can use him to still achieve the end means. Richard and Yvette will be our prisoners yet." He felt pressure on him and he couldn't breathe. He truely realized that his life was over.

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VI. Grimore  
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Yvette sat on the edge of the bed, looking over her husband. Grimore also sat nearby. He had been worried when Yvette brought Richard in. He looked at her and said, "Yvette, when will Rich awaken again."

He could tell she was concern, but she smiled. "Soon. They called down a little bit ago, saying Angelo had awakened." He then saw movement as Rich started to move his head. He then saw Yvette kiss him on the cheek. "Welcome back to the land of the living, my love."

Grimore watched as Richard openned his eyes and said, "Yvette, please. After all this, the last thing I want to do is kiss." Grimore had know before about Quinn, but he never wanted to mention it. Richard then said, "How long have I been out?"

He jumped onto the bed and said, "About a day. The new girl, Clarice, rescued you." He liked her for some reason. He still had a lot to learn about her, but that could wait. Everyone was due back tomorrow.

Rich tried to sit up, but he watched as Yvette pushed him back down. She just said, "Lay down, my love. It's about 10PM. Everyone is either in bed, or going to bed. I also changed the locks on the door." Grimore saw Yvette kiss Richard again, but on the neck this time.

He decided that now would be a good time to leave the room. He saw the devilish look that crossed both their faces when she did that. As he got off the bed, he heard Rich say, "Grimore, can I ask you one thing?"

Grimore stopped and turned around. "What is it, sir?" He noticed that a slightly concerned look had crossed his master's face.

Richard just asked him, "Grimore. Apocalypse had gotten into the company. Would he try to kill me outright?"

Grimore shook his head. "I don't think so. I've heard the new girl speak about her era. I must say that what I had heard make me think he wants you two to suffer, and she has sworn to protect you." He saw some relief cross their faces. He then left the room. He just hoped that the battle wouldn't happen until his masters would have a kid. If Apocalyse would kill Rich now, he would have won. He left through the cat flap and walked the halls, wondering if things would start to calm down for a bit. He hoped so, now more than ever.


	68. Too Real TV

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

That's What It's All About

Too Real TV

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I. Abcissa  
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She watched as Mojo ranted about the ratings. Ever since he had captured and enslaved her, Abcissa watched as Mojo regain his power. Ratings were everything to him, and she was just a tool to get more ratings. He had put her in his pet projects, but he hadn't gone to extremes yet. Soon, she noticed that something had caught his eyes. She felt him tug on her chain and said, "Come Abcissa. You might be interested in this."

She rolled over on her skates and looked at the screen. It was one of Mojo's spy satellites that watched the various X-Men, but this group wasn't the X-Men. No one was familiar, and then she saw one figure. It was her, but free. She envied and hated that figure. She had been able to dodge enslavement. As what appeared to be a fight continued, she looked at her master and said, "Who are they?"

His maniacal smile told her that he saw a huge ratings potential. He just said to her, "From what I can gather, they are called Generation X. Mostly teenagers, but a few are early 20's. And the one with the sword could give us a few good shows." She noticed the one he meant. She noticed that the sword glowed with a fire around it. Before she could ask how it did that, Mojo said, "Abcissa, I have a task for you."

She nodded and said, "I'm ready to do as you ask, sir." She had accepted her fate, and now she hated any version of her that had broken free. This version had to be taken care of.

She felt his gaze upon her and said, "I want you to capture Generation X. The ratings they bring in will be more than the X-Babies. Call on Spiral to do the transporting when you are done. If you fail, I may be forced to go for the cheap ratings grabber." She shuddered and turned to roll over to Spiral. As she rolled over to the six armed mutant, she heard Mojo say, "Spiral, get her into costume. She needs to look more like Jubilee than she ever did." She saw Spiral nod and she followed off to her task at hand. If Abcissa could have her way, she would just off this other Jubilee, but she knew that Mojo wanted all of Generation X alive.

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II. Jubilee  
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Jubilee continued fighting off the holographic creatures that the new danger room produced. This was one of the new changes that had started two months ago. It was a shock to both her and Everett, as well as the others, when they heard that Monet was gone. She was partially upset, since she still didn't care for Monet, but they had been making peace. To hear that Claudette had taken over meant a whole new group of enemies, and more training sessions than normal. She was stuck in that thought when she heard Penny say, "Jubilee, look out!."

Jubilee spun and shot plasma bursts in the face of her oncoming attacker. Emma and Sean felt that they should go up against movie characters from horror films. This one seemed the least dangerous. As the bursts knocked the guy back, she shouted, "Eat hot plasma, beanpole." She was almost stunned to see the face melt away. "What the..." was all she said as an orb as big as the head of the man she had just blast exploded out of her would be attacker.

Before she could blink, she watched as Rich's sword came up and split the orb, sending it back to bean two other attackers. She knew Emma allowed Rich to use his sword for this training session, since he asked her. In the brief moment after he had swung his sword, he looked at her and said, "You ok, Jubilee?"

She nodded and said, "Yea, Skitz. You use that sword well." She never saw someone use a sword so well.

Rich nodded back and said, "Well, I have been practicing." She then noticed that everything returned to normal. The session had ended.

She heard Sean say, "Looks like it, lad." She watched as he and Emma came from the control room. "But, ye all need to do a little better than practicing. The only one who can pull their own weight is Clarice." Jubilee looked over at the new girl. She looked like the one they tried to rescue from Phalanx long ago, but she was different.

Jubilee watched as Clarice said, "I had to live through the fighting." Jubilee could only suspect what Clarice's life was like where she was from. Rich had said that Clarice came from a world where Apocalypse had ruled. She also wondered if she and Everett were together in that world. She could guess that Rich and Yvette had been together in that world, because it was evident that Clarice thought she had to protect Rich and Yvette.

She then heard Emma say, "Well, hopefully you won't see that much fighting here. Now everyone, I want you all to get back to your rooms and study. You have an exam on mythology tomorrow. Plus, I know some of you can do better than you did last time." Jubilee knew what Emma meant. She didn't fair too well on the last exam, but she didn't understand why they needed to learn all the other things.

Jubilee watched as everyone dispersed. She knew that some of them were going to get cleaned off after that intense session. However, she knew that Rich and Yvette would head to their apartment. She quickly ran over to them and said to Rich, "Hey Rich, I was wondering if you might give me some swordfighting lessons." She noticed the odd look on Rich's face after she asked that.

She figured that Rich was talking it over with Penny in their mind link. Soon, she heard Rich say, "Sure, but we'll start with fake swords first. Last thing I want to do is explain to Sean why you have a cut through your arm, or worse." She knew what he meant. His choice was for her own safety. He then said, "Now, I believe you have a test to study for."

She nodded and said, "Yes sir, but don't you have to take the same test." She loved to tease Rich about his odd status. He was both a student and a headmaster. She decided to let him be after that and headed to clean up. She had a study date with Everett tonight. First, of course, she had to get her books from her room.

Jubilee had never moved so fast in her life. She got cleaned up after the practice and ran back to her room in about 20 minutes, but she knew Everett might not be ready. She decide it wouldn't hurt to give things a quick look over before she left. As she walked over to her bed, where she had thrown her books, she heard the door latch. She knew she was in trouble. She knew that someone was there. She quickly spun around, with a high kick, only to be snagged by a chain and thrown to her bed. She looked up at her attack and her eyes went wide in fright. It was someone she hoped she'd never see again. "Hello, Jubilee. I hope you don't mind if I borrow your life, but Mojo thinks your friends have a lot of potential." It was Abcissa, but she looked more like her. Jubilee then felt something being placed on her head, and at the point she passed out.

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III. Rich  
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Rich walked with his wife down the hall to their apartment. He knew something was bothering her. He could tell. He just said, "Yvette, what's bothering you?" He had a feeling he knew, but he wanted to be sure.

She looked at him and said, "I just don't think it's wise to teach Jubilee sword fighting. I mean, either of you could get hurt. I don't want to see that happen. Plus, the whole Claudette thing has be nervous. What if the same thing happens with Jubilee?" He was right about what was bothering her.

Rich took her hand and said, "My love, I know that your worried about another incident like Claudette, but I don't think that will happen again. Also, I won't allow any harm to come to Jubilee. I said we wouldn't use real swords."

"I know, but I'm still worried. I thought Monet had stopped Claudette, but she didn't and now look. I almost lost you." He knew what she was referring to. When Claudette had broken free, the first things she wanted to do was kill Emma, and give him to Emplate.

Rich stopped and faced his wife. "Love, we know Jubilee is nothing like that. As for the training, I heard she picks up fighting skills like that easily. So I want to test her." At that moment, he remember that they had to study. "Oh my gosh, we have that test tomorrow. I better brush up on the Egyptian Mythology." He entered the door to their apartment like he was a blur.

He heard Yvette enter and say, "I don't see why you have to study. You know more about mythology than I do." It was one of his passions, but then with the family history, who could blame him.

As he grabbed some of the mythology books from the family library, he said, "My love, I may know a majority of the legends, but after my years at high school, I found out that Egyptian is one of my weak points."

He was almost started when her heard Grimore say, "Not good. You should be aware of all cultures. Maybe this test will be a good way for you to brush up on your skills. It would do you well to know about what you might go up against. Some myths are not myths at all."

This bothered Rich a bit. He knew some things his family had encountered seemed unreal, but myths being real. Of course, he was thinking about the monsters that he knew of. "Grimore, you mean to say that creatures like Scylla and Charybdis are real?"

He noticed that the cat shook it's head. "No, that story isn't true at all." Rich took a deep breath and Grimore said, "Charybdis was the only monster that existed." Rich looked at the cat, as it said, "Well, that is how the saying came about. Between a rock and a hard place meant betweeen Scylla and Charybdis, and the cliffs there were treacherous."

Rich didn't want to ask anymore and just sat down with Yvette at the table. He watched as Yvette had started to read one of the books on Mythology that he had brought, but it was one that he had purchased as a kid. He noticed the name she was reading and he said in their mind link, _"Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She's who Athens is named after."_ He watched as she smiled at him.

She then said, _"Well, we might be up all night studing. Do you want to notify Jubilee that you can't teach her how to use a sword."_

He shook his head and said, _"No, I think Morpheus will visit us while we are studying."_ It had been a late practice, but it had been worth it. Now, it was late, and they both need to sleep and study. He wondered how much studying they would get in before night would end.

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IV. Everett  
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Everett looked over at Jubilee as they studied. After dating for so long, he could tell when something was wrong. Something about her actions told him something wasn't right. He put his hand on hers and said, "Jubes, what's wrong? You seem so distant."

As she looked into his eyes, he couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw something that didn't quite fit. She weakly smiled and said, "I just feel a bit bad about the trouble we almost got in."

Everett knew what she was talking about. He took her hand and said, "Don't worry. Mondo said he wouldn't mention it to anyone." He had to admit, it was awkward, but Mondo talked with him first. It would have been worse if Mondo had told Sean. He noticed that something was still bothering her. He knew what it couldn't have been, since they never got that far intimately. He then said, "Jubilee, are you worried about what happened here when we were visiting my family?"

He watched as she nodded and said, "Yea. I can't believe that it all happened so quick. I wish I knew how Claudette had gotten free. I mean, I know I never got along well with Monet, but even she didn't deserve this." Everett understood what she meant. Claudette had imprisoned Monet in her own mind. What ever Monet's body did, it was what Claudette wanted. He watched as she got up and said, "I don't think I can study. I'm going to head back to my room and rest."

Everett figured that Jubilee was worked up. Maybe she needed time alone. He walked her to the door and said, "Jubes, if you need to talk some more, just call. I also hope your ready for the test." He watched as she nodded and headed out of the building. He didn't know what had happened between the training session and now, but he could tell something was bothering her.

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V. Clarice  
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Clarice stepped out of her room and started down the hall. She had gotten her books and was on her way to study with Darrett. She felt she could relate to him best. Like herself, he did not come from this existance. As she headed out, she saw Jubilee walking into the dorm. She could tell that Jubilee was a little out of sorts. She figured that Jubilee was still shook up from the training session. When she finally reached the guy's dorm, she made her way to Darrett's room. When she got to the door, she knocked and she heard someone say, "Enter."

Clarice openned the door, and was started to see one of the creatures she had fought earlier in the training session. She was dumbstruct as the being said, "I shall go now, sir. Take care."

As the figure disappeared, she just said, "Darrett, that was...."

He nodded and said, "I know. I wanted to find out if I could control them, and I could." Clarice had to admit that Darrett's ability was a bit scary, but as long as he could control it, they were alright. Maybe it added to her attraction to him.

She then set her books down and said, "Darrett, how can you be so calm about that. What if one of those things rebelled." She noticed a hurt look on Darrett's face. She had touched a nerve. She then said, "I didn't know."

He just said, "It's alright. Luckily, it only ever happened once here, but it happened a few times in the world I came from."

She knew that Darrett was like herself, from another timeline. She looked at him and said, "Tell me what your world was like?" She honestly wanted to know.

She noticed how uncomfortable Darrett looked about the topic and then he said, "I came from a very dark future. You see, in my future, the world was over run by Emplates. In fact, there was a war, and all the X-Groups fell. All of Generation X fell. My parents were the last two to die of Generation X."

She sat down and said, "Who were they?" She knew that Darrett never told anyone about who his parents were, mainly because how it would affect the team.

She noticed how mellow Darrett got, "They were Everett and Daria. From what my mother told me, they were about to storm the Emplate's headquaters in the states, when half of the remaining members of Generation X were seperated. No one knows what happened to the two who went missing, but they had failed."

Clarice could understand how Darrett might have felt. She didn't want to mention it, but she did think she understood. She then said, "Who lead these Emplates? The Emplate we have to worry about."

She watched as he shook his head, "No, the Lord and Lady of the Emplates were Richard and Yvette. They were captured, enthralled, and it blew their minds. They took it out on the world."

She sighed. "Not like my world. Apocalypse had taken over. He had Rich and Yvette captured, experimented on, and killed." He saw the grim look that crossed his face, like he didn't believe it. She then said, "It is the truth. I saw what some of those experiments had done to them." Before he could ask, she said, "Trust me, you don't want to know. Now can we at least do some studying." He nodded and they began to study for the exam.


	69. Getting The Contestants Ready

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

That's What It's All About

Getting The Contestants Ready

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I. Yvette  
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Yvette awoke when she heard the knock at the door. She looked at the time on the clock and saw it was morning. She lifted her head from the table she and her husband had been studying at. She also noticed that his head was on the table as well. They had fallen asleep studying. She got up and streched, to work out any stiffness in her back from sleeping, and headed for the door. She noticed that Grimore was also asleep, but she could see that his sleep was not restful. She pushed the intercom button near the door and said, "Who is it?"

The voice came through the intercom, "It's me, Jubilee. Rich said he was going to show me how to fight with a sword today." Yvette then remembered what Rich had said to her last night.

Yvette just said, "I remember now. You head over to the training room. I'll have him head over as soon as possible." She clicked off the intercom and went over to Rich. She put her hands on his shoulders and said, "Rich, it's time to wake up."

She watched as he started to wake up. As he sat up, he looked at her and said, "What time is it?" She could tell he was still tired. Part of it had to be the studying. They had even continued studying in their dreams.

She looked at him and said, "It's about 6:45. Jubilee already stopped by about the training." She watched as her husband almost bolted out of the chair he was sleeping in. She then said, "How are you going to make sure no one gets hurt?"

She watched as he pulled two wooden swords out of the closet. "This is how. I got these at a Renaissance Fair when I was in high school." Now she understood what Rich had meant about using fake swords. He then smiled and said, "Just have to think of it as fencing."

She gathered all the books on the table together and said, "Well, at least get cleaned up before you start fencing." She watched as he nodded and headed into the bedroom and closed the door. As she started putting the books on the shelves, she saw Grimore start to stur. She walked over to the cat and petted it gently on the head. "Good morning, sleepy head. Did you rest well?"

She watched as the cat stood up and stretched. "Not really. For a brief moment, I felt like something malevolent was near by." She didn't know what to think. Maybe Grimore was just having a nightmare.

Yvette picked up Grimore and started to pet him to calm him down. As he purred, she said, "Now don't worry, Grimore. There is no one here that is going to harm us. The only person who stopped by was Jubilee."

The cat looked at her and said, "Why did she stop by?" Grimore didn't know about what Rich agreed to.

She was almost startled when Rich came out of the bedroom and said, "She wanted to learn how to handle a sword." She watched as Rich came over to her and he said, "Hun, I'll see you at the test. I hope our studies will allow us to pass the test." He kissed her and headed out the door with the two wooden swords.

After he left, she put Grimore down and said, "Well, I'm going to get cleaned up. We have a test this morning." With that, she heading into the bedroom, and to the bathroom to clean up.

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II. Abcissa  
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Abcissa waited in the training room. She learned most of everything here with the device Spiral had brought along. It allowed her to know all of Jubilee's memories. From all the good memories, to all the bad ones. She envied Jubilee. She was almost lost in that thought when she heard a voice say, "Alright Jubilee, are you ready?" She turned to face the man addressing her. He was the one they called Rich.

She nodded and said, "As ready as I'll ever be." She watched as he threw a wooden sword at her. She was half perplex at this. Jubilee was suppose to be learning about sword fighting, so why use fake swords.

Before she could even ask, she heard Rich say, "Now I told you we wouldn't use real swords." Now she started to worry. There were some problems with the memory transfer. Jubilee might have been able to fight it and the more current memories got muddled. She watched as he held his sword in one hand and said, "Now to start, don't let me land a strike on you."

She nodded and said, "Alright, Rich." She was almost startled when he jumped and started to swing. She now had to use her instincts. Many times, Mojo aired shows where she had to fight, and she knew how to fight with weapons.

During the course of the session, she managed to defend herself well. She could see some surprise on his face. During one attack, they were face to face when he said, "You know, Jubilee, you are either a quick learner, or you're hiding something."

She pushed him back and said, "What do you mean, Rich? I'm not that good, I'm just copying you." It wasn't true, but she had to lie in hopes she hadn't blown her cover. She watched as he prepared to stab at her.

As he began the stab motion, he said, "Well, you seem to be acting too good for your first time. Not even copying me this good can be done by a beginner."

She parried the stab and said, "Like I said, quick learner."

She was surprised when Rich made a circular movement and the sword flew out of her hands. She was almost startled as Richard said, "Or you did this before. I saw something that bothered me. During that move where we were close to each other, I saw some strange images. Now I want to ask you what you did with Jubilee."

Now Abcissa had a problem. This boy knew what was happening. She started towards the sword she had dropped, but he stopped her. She looked at him and said, "Rich, it is the real me?"

Rich shook his head and said, "No, something is wrong. You look like Jubilee, but you're not. Now what have you done with Jubilee?"

She just nodded, she had a back up plan. She looked at Rich and said, "Spiral, I need some help." She saw Spiral appear behind Rich.

She watched as Rich turned and said, "What was ..." Spiral hit him hard with three fists. He collapsed to the ground unconscious.

She watched as Spiral said to her, "Let me guess. He figured out who you were?" She nodded and Spiral said, "Well, get the others like planned. Mojo has plans for this one and Jubilee." She nodded and headed off to the exam room. That was the best place to catch everyone.

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III. Paige  
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Paige sat at her desk, looking at the clock. It was soon time to start the test, and Emma and Sean agreed that the test wouldn't start until all the students were present. The only two missing were Rich and Jubilee. She fingered her test again, leaving it face down and said, "Emma, when are we going to start this exam?"

She watched as Emma glanced up at the clock and said, "In two minutes, regardless if Rich and Jubilee get in here." She watched as Emma looked over at Yvette and said, "What possessed Rich to train Jubilee to use a sword?"

She listened as Yvette said, "Jubilee came to us after the training session. She asked Rich to show her some basic skills. I don't think it would have taken this long." Paige noticed that at that moment, Jubilee came walking in the door.

Emma just looked at her and said, "Jubilee, where have you been, and where exactly is Richard." Paige was wondering that as well.

Paige noticed that Jubilee must have been nervous, because she seemed to be toying with her earring. Paige wondered if Jubilee considered them lucky earrings or something. She heard Jubilee say, "He had to put the fake swords back, but he said he'd be here soon."

Paige just sighed and said, "Emma, Ah hope we all don't have to wait again." She noticed that some of the others nodded in agreement, but others didn't nod. They didn't want to appear to have an advantage.

She heard Everett say, "Emma, couldn't you give Rich a few extra minutes after time is up for the exam." Paige had to agree that is sounded like a sound idea.

She was surprised when Sean just said, "An excellent idea, Everett. We'll do that lad. I'll take note of when Rich enters. Everyone, begin." Paige went to her test and noticed that Jubilee had finally sat down. Paige knew that Jubilee was the only one who wasn't up late studying. She had heard Jubilee in her room when she got back from studying with Jono and Angelo.

As Paige looked over the questions, she started to yawn. Maybe the late night study session hadn't been a good idea. As she yawned again, she heard several others yawning as well, with the addition of a psyonic yawn from Jono. She went to look over at her teachers and said, "Sean, Emma, could we.." She then noticed that both were asleep. She looked around to noticed that everyone else was nodding off, except for the one person who had gotten sleep, Jubilee. Soon enough, she couldn't fight it and succumbed to sleep.

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IV. Abcissa  
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Abcissa looked around as everyone was sound asleep. She had done it. She turned off the devices in her earrings and watched as Spiral appeared again. Her multi-armed associate looked around and said, "You did well, Mojo will be pleased with you."

She nodded and said, "That's what I must do, serve Mojo." She didn't like it, but Mojo had yet to make her do anything she hated. As she looked around, she said, "Does Mojo want me to stay with them?"

She watched as Spiral nodded and said, "Yes, you are to stay with them. When Mojo explains everything, you must make sure they are all forced to join Mojo." She nodded and Spiral then said, "Mojo has gotten some good ideas from the Cale boy, and you might not be alone. You might have a stunt double."

Abcissa smiled and said, "That sounds good." She hated the fact Jubilee had dodged this fate, but now she was going to be forced into it. She watched then as Spiral created a portal and started putting Generation X in the starting room. As she watched, she said, "Spiral, how long until they all wake up."

Spiral looked at her and said, "About 1 hour, plenty of time for Mojo to try to convince those two to give up." This made Abcissa happy. Although she was a slave of Mojo, now she could start exacting revenge on Jubilee.


	70. A Walk Through The Park

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

That's What It's All About

A Walk Through The Park

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Jubilee**  
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Jubilee slowly awoke to a strange sight. Although she had a good idea where she was, it was still a strange sight. Part of it was the fact that she was standing in a capsule like object suspended in the air. Another was the fact that it was over a pit. She couldn't see what was in the pit, but something was in it. What made things ever worse was the fact that her legs were locked in place, and her hands were also locked in place. At least what ever was on her head was now gone. However she wished she still had her eyes closed. She was looking straight at the fat form of Mojo. She was almost teriffied, and that terror grew when she heard Mojo say, "Well, it has been a while Jubilee. I do miss the ratings your friends, the X-Men, brought in. In fact, your friends are about to bring me in more ratings, and that may be for years to come."

Jubilee struggled to break free, but couldn't. She looked at the bloated blob and said, "Yea right. They won't sell their souls over to you." At least, she hoped they wouldn't.

She didn't like how wide Mojo's grin got. "True, but if they die and I bring them back to life with little nanobots, they can't leave. Isn't technology wonderful, but unfortunately you don't have that technology." He had a point. Earth wasn't as advanced as other planets, and Mojo would do anything to keep start attractions.

Jubilee looked at him and said, "They won't do anything for your amusement. Not even if it would mean death to them." She knew her friends. They would find a way around anything to prevent any loss.

Again, the smile on his face got wider. She really didn't like that. "They really don't have much choice, at least if they hope to see one of their friends again." That meant he didn't just capture her. She figured no one realized she was missing, but they might pick up on something being odd, but what he said meant he had captured someone. She hoped it wasn't Everett.

Finally, she heard a voice behind her said, "My head, where am I?" She knew who Mojo had captured. He had captured Rich, and knowing Penny, Penny wouldn't stop until Rich was free.

She saw Mojo smile and say, "Well, our guest and entertainment provider is now awake. I'll make my introductions to him now." She watched as he started around the metal walkway that was around the room.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Mojo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

He knew this boy had potential, but something told Mojo that the boy was head strong. However the same device that he had Spiral use on Jubilee, gave him access to some good ideas for these Gen X kids to go through. As he made his way around the room, he heard Jubilee say, "Rich, you're not going to like this."

He listened as the boy said, "Jubilee, I thought it was the real you. Is this related to the imposter that's at the school?" He wondered how the boy picked up on Abcissa. Abcissa and Jubilee looked identical, but they were one in the same.

He listened as Jubilee said, "It has everything to do with her. She's not really an imposter, but like ..." Mojo could hear how she was trying to find the right word.

Just before he would enter view of the boy called Rich, he heard him say, "Jubilee, what are you trying to say?" He heard a slight gasp, and he smiled a bit. "Jubilee, how much trouble are we in?"

Mojo continued to walk into view and face the boy. "You're in a lot of trouble, but I'm a fair being. I'm giving you the option of saving your friends." He could see the shock on the boy's face. He then said, "At least allow me to introduce myself. I'm Mojo, intergalactic showman extrodinaire."

He watched as the boy blinked and then frowned. "And a prime canidate for Richard Simmon's Sweating to the Oldies." Mojo almost let an angry look cross his face. He wanted to hurt this boy now, but that wouldn't fit with his plans.

Mojo then heard Jubilee go, "Rich, isn't that kind of mean to do to Richard Simmons?" He could tell by her tone that this Simmons guy was not well liked.

He watched as Rich said, "Strange, I was starting to feel pity for this Mojo character if he was in that situation." He saw that Rich was still frowning as he then said, "Now, why are we here, and where are our friends?"

Mojo could tell that the boy was not in a good mood, and something in his voice showed more concern than normal. "Oh, they are ok, for now, and free to go back, that is if you're willing to stay. And that goes for you too, Jubilee. Abcissa needs a stunt double."

He heard Rich say, "Tell me Mojo, are those wires into your scalp to make you think, because if you think we are going to willingly had our lives over to you, you are out of your head."

He just smiled. "No, I was betting you wouldn't. Deep down, I think Abcissa was hoping Jubilee wouldn't agree either. Since you picked up on her, I might as well tell you that Abcissa is a version of Jubilee who agreed to serve me. However, my ratings have not gone as bad to stoop to the ultimate ratings tactics with her."

He heard Jubilee shout out, "Thank God."

Mojo dismissed Jubilee's statement and then said, "Now if your friends can survive, you all can go free."

He watched as an angry look crossed Rich's face. "What do you mean by that?"

Mojo smiled even more, "Well, in order to get here, they are going to have to survive a few movies you've seen. That little helmet on your head has transfered information about those movies into our systems here. Not only that, but if your friends die, they will be revived and forced to stay with me."

He had one more surprise, and wanted Rich to find out about that surprise at the right time. He noticed that Rich looked at him and said, "And what is preventing us from breaking free of this prison and stopping you from doing this."

Mojo turned on two monitors, one facing Jubilee, and one facing Rich. "That is what is keeping you from breaking free." He saw the fear in the boy's face. "Now, if you're lucky, you won't have to meet that face to... well, not the right term, but I'm sure you know what I mean. Now, I have a show to start." He turned and walked out a nearby door. Now he had to wake up the rest of the group called Generation X.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Daria**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Daria awoke with a splitting headache. What ever had happened at the test had hit her the worse. As she looked around the room, she saw all her teammates, and her teachers, unconscious. Then she took another head count, one was missing. Richard was missing. She ran over to Mondo first, to try and wake her boyfriend. "Mondo, wake up. I think we're in trouble."

It didn't take long until Mondo openned his eyes. In his eyes, she could see the gentle man he was. "Daria, what happened? Last thing I remember was the test, and all of a sudden, I was out."

She noticed the several of the others had started to wake up. She even heard Sean say, "Aye lad, ye weren't the only one to pass out. Anyone know what might of happened."

She heard Jubilee say, "I don't know, but I felt someone crack me in the back of my head, and next thing I know, I'm in here."

She then heard Jono say, "Well, we aren't at the school anymore. I think we might be in trouble."

She heard Emma say, "Now all we need to know is where Rich is, who captured us, and why?"

She saw Darrett get up and say, "Well, I see an open door, but what is on the other side doesn't look like this room." She glanced out the open door in the room and saw a big foyer like area. Darrett was right. It looked nothing like this room, but it looked familiar to her.

She was startled as a voice boomed in the room and said, "That is correct. That room is nothing like this room, but then, that's what makes the show what it is." She turned to face a screen with a hideous smiling face on it, with wires coming out of it's head.

She heard her teacher go, "Mojo. I was hoping never to see yur ugly mug again." She also noticed that everyone was in shock. They had never seen this being before, well all except for Jubilee. She didn't see to be in shock.

She saw the smiling face look at Sean and say, "Well, well, well, Banshee. This should be interesting how you can direct these kids through five deadly movies."

Daria then heard Jubilee say, "If you think we are going to risk our lives for you Mojo, you're nuts." She heard other students agree as they came out of shock.

The smiling face continued to smile and said, "Oh, does that mean you don't want your prize if you can do it in 5 hours." She saw the screen change and saw figure being held in some device, frozen with fear.

She realized who it was just as Yvette realized it. "Richard. If you hurt him at all, Mojo, I'll make you sorry you ever brought us here." She watched as the screen shifted back and Mojo was still smiling.

"Ah, now I see why he was so concerned about you all. He has someone special to him." She watched as Mojo laughed and said, "Well then, you better get moving. There is only one way out of that room, and once you leave, the clock starts. I hope you make this interesting." The screen changed to a counter as Mojo's face disappeared.

As she looked out into the hallway, she heard Clarice say, "That guy has a few screws loose." She had to agree, but now she wanted to know why that room looked so familiar.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Sean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sean could not believe the trouble they were all in. Mojo was not one to play with a full deck. If anything, he didn't want any of the kids to face anything like Mojo. He knew that Jubilee had dealt with Mojo before, but this was different. Now, if he didn't have the team enter whatever Mojo had planned, they might lose Rich. If they did, they might lose Rich and a few of the team. Either way, it didn't look good. As he tried to figure out the best plan of action, he heard Yvette say, "Banshee, we have to save my husband. We have to save Skitz."

Sean nodded and said, "I know, Penance, but we need to figure out what we are going up against. Mojo told us that our time doesn't start until we enter that room. I'd like to know what that room is."

He head Daria say, "It looks familiar, like it's from a movie." That was when Sean remembered what Mojo said.

He looked at everyone and said, "That's it. This is a movie, but here the movies will kill us. And knowing a bit about Mojo, he will do anything to keep a money maker. Unless...."

He heard Emma say, "He has taken precautions to reanimate us. Something to ensure we stay here."

Sean didn't like the sound of that. If they made one mistake, they were stuck. As he looked out onto the room, he said, "Now, what movie is this from, and where is he getting the movie ideas?"

He watched as Yvette peared out the room and said, "This is the visitor's center from Jurassic Park. No doubt we have to make our way to the refrigerator in the kitchen. And our best bet would be the ceiling."

Sean looked at his adopted daughter and asked, "Why do ye say that, Penance?"

He watched as she pointed in one direction. "That's why."

He and the others looked as she was pointing at mural. On it was various dinosaurs. At first he didn't see what she was pointing at, and then he noticed it. It looked like an eye blinked. Then Synch said, "A Raptor. Do you think it's alone?"

Sean then remember the movie. "Nae, there are probably others around. So the ceiling would be our best bet. Look for a vent."

He then heard Daria say, "Banshee, I can fly out and find one, and try and get each one of us up to it." Sean had to agree, it might be the best bet. He watched as she flew out the door. He noticed that the raptor they all had seen still hadn't moved. He hoped that they wouldn't enter the small room.

He then heard Darrett say, "You better tell Daria to move fast. Look." He turned and saw what Darrett meant. The timer had started to count down. The race had begun.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Angelo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Angelo watched as the counter had hit 4 hours and 55 minutes. It was taking Daria a long time to get to the vent. Soon he saw her flying not to far from the door with a grim look. He looked out the door and said, "Let me guess, no vent." When she nodded, he said, "Well, I guess that leaves no place to go but into ambush country."

He was amazed abit at how well Daria could control her flying ability. She looked over at the raptor and then said, "Our fan is still there, but I can't shake the feeling he's not alone."

Angelo then saw Everett thinking, and soon enough, his friend said, "Banshee, I have an idea. Daria, can you lift Banshee and myself to the center of the room."

When she looked around and smiled, she said, "I think I know what you have planned, Synch."

Angelo was even more surprised when Sean said, "It might work. Let's give it a try." He watched as Daria lifted the two to the dead center of the room. He noticed that the raptor had started to watch them. That was when the two started to yell. Angelo covered his ears, and watched as the raptor fell down. He thought he heard two more thuds. Soon, the audio assult stopped, and Sean said, "Ye were right lad. Everybody, let's hurry."

He followed as everyone ran out the door. When they were all in the lobby, Yvette said, "Everyone, this way. Skitz and I have seen the movie enough times to have a very good idea of where everything is."

As they all ran up the steps, following Penance, he glanced down at the downed trio of dinos. He didn't like what he saw. He just said, "Synch, Banshee, I don't think you had your yells on a long enough of a stun." The raptors were starting to get up, and noticed that all of them were way above them.

He watched as Penance ran in a door, and everyone just followed. He was last in the door and closed it and locked it. Soon enough, Everett and Jubilee put a table by the door and they all continued to the back. He heard Jubilee say, "That might not hold for long."

As he followed, he heard a crash at the door. He turned to see the door was still closed, but the table was on it's side. Had the crash knocked the table over? That had to be the answer, but he wasn't about to find out. He ran into the kitchen area and said, "Better find the exit fast. Those raptors are ready to come in for their dinner."

He watched as Emma said, "Don't worry, Skin. Penance just openned the door to the fridge, and it leads to another of Mojo's waiting rooms. I think we have survived this round." He watched as everyone started to enter the room. The second crash seem to speed everyone up.

Angelo used his skin on the handle and ran toward the door. As he entered, the raptors entered the kitchen at a full run. He quickly yanked on the handle, snapping the door closed and said, "Bye bye, lizards." When the door closed, he turned and said, "Ok, what's next?"


	71. The Mojo's Curse

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

That's What It's All About

The Mojo's Curse

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Jubilee**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jubilee watched in horror as she saw what Abcissa did. "I don't believe you'd do this." She had watched as Abcissa started the table to wobble after Everett ran off. "She's sabatoging the team."

She watched as Mojo continued to watch the screen. "Why yes. I told her to do that. Make's the game more interesting. Of course, they don't know who the traitor is." Jubilee started to smile inwardly. Mojo might not have realized about Rich's mental link with Yvette.

Jubilee wished she could talk with Rich the same way, but he was in absolute terror. The image of what was in the pit had scared him stiff. She didn't want to tip off Mojo to the bond Rich had with Yvette. On the other hand, she had to snap Rich out of the state he was in. Jubilee just shouted, "I wish we could warn them."

Mojo just looked at her and said, "If you did, you'd end up in that pit right away." She didn't like the smile he gave. He looked like he meant it.

It was then when Rich finally spoke, "And you'd suffer. I can tell you're bluffing."

Jubilee watched as she saw Mojo honestly sweat. She then said, "Rich, welcome back to reality, but how can you be sure?" She was starting to worry that Rich had gone delirious or mad.

Rich then said, "Because, if he drops us before time is up, his ratings will fall. He's not going to risk that now." She could see that Mojo's smile disappeared. Rich was right. He was bluffing. She felt relief at that.

Mojo then said, "You're lucky that ratings are more important. If I didn't have to worry about them, you would have been dropped. By the way, just incase someone was trying to get to you telepathically, I put a little mind barrier around this room. Now let's see how you friend do in Egypt." Jubilee looked up as the monitor showed the next zone their friends would be entering. She hoped no one would die.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich watched as Mojo walked out a nearby door again. He was going to taunt everyone a bit more. Rich didn't know what scared him more. What might happen to Yvette and the others, or dying through a childhood fear. When the door finally closed, Rich just said, "Jubilee. You've dealt with this thing before. How crazy is he?"

He heard Jubilee say, "Let me put it this way. He's as crazy as he is fat." Rich didn't like the sound of that. She then said, "But he does care more about ratings. If keeping us alive helps his ratings, the last thing he'll do is kill us. What's scary is he thinks Generation X is fresh material and get him tons of ratings. He'd kill them and reanimate them just to keep high ratings."

Rich then remember what led to his capture. "Then what's the deal with Abcissa. Why is he so reluctant to risk her?" That was one fact that was bothering him. Mojo seemed so detemined for ratings, yet was holding back for some reason.

He heard Jubilee gag and say, "Ugh, I just had a nasty thought, and I rather get that out of my head." He figured what that thought was and quickly pushed it out of his head. "Rich, is there any way you could warn them?"

Rich looked at the screen of the area they were about to enter. "Not there, too high profile of a movie. Jubilee, can you see anything that might hint at what they will go up against in the upcoming areas."

He listened for a moments and then she said, "Well, all the way to the right is the creature from one of your favorite movies. In the middle is one of those things from the Matrix." Rich didn't like that film. Soon he felt a pain in his head and Jubilee said, "Wait a minute, it changed. Mojo must have found something different, and it looks hideous."

Rich focused his thoughts for a second and then said, "What's the other?" He needed to find a low profile film. One he could mentally change to deliver a message that Yvette would get.

He heard Jubilee gasp and then said, "It's that tall man, that turned into that orb thing you cut with your sword."

He smiled. "Well, Mojo managed to grab something low profile. That's where I can leave a clue." Now all he had to do was focus on that movie and think of a good place to alter it. Some place he would think Yvette would look.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Everett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Everett looked around the area they were about to enter. It was almost dark, but it was a cave darkness, and torches were lit along the walls. From the markings he saw, he knew what movie they were about to enter. "Looks like it's the movie 'The Mummy'. Which means, we have to be careful of scarabs, mummies and Imhotep." He notice a light behind him and saw Jono had unravelled the wrappings that hid the chamber holding the bionuclear energy.

He then heard Chamber say, _"Then, maybe we should stick together and stay in the light."_

He heard Husk say, "Good thinking, Chamber. This should at least keep the beetles away. Also, since we are in a cave, we have to be careful not to cause a cave in."

Everett had an idea and said, "Penance, let me synch up with you." As he did, he focused on making his hands just likes Penance's claws. He then said, "Alright, we have a few weapons ready here."

He saw Daria had changed her arms into swords. "Two more here." He had to admit that her ability was very useful. He wondered if the cybernetics that made her part sentinel had something to do with it.

Everett watched as everyone advanced into the tunnels. He kept an eye out for any attackes. As they kept moving forward, he heard Emma say, "I can sense something on the other side of the larger room up ahead. I think it might be our exit, and something guarding it."

When they came upon the room, he was almost in awe. Just like in the real movie, the room was full of gold, and mirrors that reflected light from about into the room. As he looked over the room, he also noticed movement. He had a good idea of what it was. He just said, "Ok, we have mummies coming our way, and what every anyone does, don't hit any of the mirrors." He knew that might be difficult, but failure might mean death for all of them.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Paige**  
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Paige watched as the mummies started to advance. She started to wonder if Synch, Penance and Daria could hold them all off. Then she had an idea. She quickly husked of her skin and changed into pure adamantium. She ran forward and said, "Get ready for a fourth in the line up."

She watched as Jubilee also advanced and said, "Hey, maybe I can torch a few of them." Now that was thinking. Paige then noticed the first wave was almost on them, and they weren't unarmed.

Just before one could even use it's weapon, Paige saw a fist of pure gold shatter the one mummy. She saw Mondo standing next to her, all in gold. "I couldn't let Daria have all the fun." Paige knew how much the two cared for each other. Daria had even told her.

She then heard Banshee say, "Alright team, we're making a dent in them. We need to get to the other side of the room." She looked at far end of the room and saw that their exit was there.

She heard Darrett got, "I think that just got a lot more difficult." She looked up and saw a figure standing there. She realized who it was just as Darrett said, "I think we have to fight Imhotep himself."

She turned to Banshee and said, "It might be best if you yelled at the ceiling above him, Banshee. Then we can get by him." She hoped it wouldn't break any of the mirrors, or block the exit.

She then heard Emma say, "Too big of a risk. We might want to risk a rush. If we can't get out, everyone is as good as dead." Emma was right about that, but she still thought it was worth the risk.

She then heard a small explosion and Jubilee saying, "I think the rush is the best idea. I think I goofed on one of my blasts." Paige saw what Jubilee meant. The head of one mummy went flying off towards one of the mirrors, and it was going to hit it.

Paige watched as Penance looked at everyone and said, "Run." She didn't need to be told twice. As they ran for the exit, she turned to see a few figures appearing behind them, right were they had been. Although she didn't see their faces, the men were in army clothes, and started shooting guns at the oncoming beetles. She knew how they got there, and looked over at Darrett.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett didn't glance back when the firefight started. He was more focused on reaching the door. As they ran, he just said, "They should keep our backs covered. But ugly up ahead looks ready to do something." Just as he said that, one of the men turned around and aimed his shotgun at Imhotep.

He watched as everyone ducked down and the blast of the shotgun took out the mummy. As the man turned back to the beetles, he heard Jono say, _"Wasn't that one of the blokes from Doom?"_

He saw Synch turn his head and say, "Chamber's right. When did you ever see that game?"

As they continued towards the exit and what was left of Imhotep, he heard Banshee say, "We don't have much time, look at the ceiling." He glanced up and saw that it was starting to descend.

He then heard Emma shout, "We'll just make it." He then heard the roars of anguish. He glanced back and saw the beetles overtake the three beings he called in from Doom. The beetles started to make a bee-line towards them.

Everyone was almost in the door, and Husk was towards the back of the group with Jubilee. He was starting to get worried, and then Jubilee let loose with a huge firework. It lit up the room and the bugs retreated. He never saw Jubilee do anything like that. He watched a Husk looked at her and said, "Jubilee, that was brave."

Jubilee just looked at her and said, "No problem, but lets get out. Darrett do you think you can use your ability a few more times."

He thought about it and then said, "Maybe two more times, but I don't want to strain my ability. It hurts a bit when they die." He knew that was true. He couldn't dispel them if they died. With that, he, Jubilee and Husk jumped through the door, leading to the break point between movies.

When he closed the door, he heard Banshee say, "Good job all, we survived two movies, and have about 3 hours and 45 minutes left. We should be able to make it and rescue Skitz." He had to admit, after all his time with Generation X, he had learned that Richard Cale and Yvette were not the evil creatures that they were in his timeline. He was thankful for that.


	72. A Big Problem, Many Small Ones, and a Ta...

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

That's What It's All About

A Big Problem, Many Small Ones and A Tall Man

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Spiral**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Spiral looked on at the screen and said, "It looks like they are proving tougher than you thought they would. Do you think having Abcissa try and sabatoge them was a good idea." She had to admit that she didn't like how Mojo treated the slave girl. He always seemed to hold back on her. She did have to admit that the one boy was clever.

She watched as she heard Richard Cale start laughing. She could see how irate Mojo was starting to get. She watched as Mojo walked over to the edge of the pit that Richard Cale and Jubilee were kept over and said, "Alright boy, what's so funny? Or do you want to explain it to the plant below?"

She noticed the brazen look on the boy's face as he said, "You don't have the guts, lardo. If you dump us, your 'ratings' will go through the floor. Audiences don't like rigged games."

Spiral then noticed as the ratings started to drop. She knew Mojo was taping what was happening in the room, but the vocal was only transmitted when he spoke to Richard Cale, or Richard Cale spoke to Mojo. She looked over at Mojo and said, "Sir, the ratings are starting to drop."

She watched as Mojo stepped back, and turned to Spiral. "Keep an eye on them. I don't want them trying anything. I need to find out more about that boy." She figured that Mojo was going to taunt Generation X again.

After he left, she was startled to hear Richard say to her, "So that's the phoney's name. What was he smoking when he thought that up?" She knew Mojo had told him a little of the background on Abcissa, but she also figured Jubilee told him some as well.

She looked up at the captive boy and said, "At a time when Mojo wasn't playing with a full deck," She heard Jubilee laugh at that, but ignored it. "he tried to something quite dangerous. During that time, he had Abcissa in tow, from a future where Jubilee willingly agreed to be his slave. Somehow during that event, when Jubilee refused, Abcissa remained. She has been in tow ever since."

She looked on as Rich said, "I think you envy her. She seems to be Mojo's favorite." With every word he spoke, Spiral wanted to punch Richard Cale for it. She then looked at the screen. Generation X was about to enter the next zone, and maybe one of them would be staying a long time.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette looked out the door that lead to the next movie. She didn't recognize where they were heading. She turned back towards the others and said, "I don't recognize this one. The only thing I can think of is that it looks like a masoleum."

She knew it wasn't a comforting thought, but when Mojo appeared on the one screen in the little room, the masoleum became more comforting. She watched as the fat blob said, "Well, well, well, two down and three to go. I'll admit that you're full of surprises. I never expected you to be able to call in extras, however they will make for nice additions to my slaves."

She watched as Darrett just laughed. "Doubt it, fatso. They were dead to begin with." She noticed how agitated Mojo looked when he heard that. She tried to supress her laughter, but she felt she couldn't.

When she laughed, she heard Mojo say, "Go ahead and laugh it up, but you have only 3 hours and 45 minutes to save your boyfriend."

That brought her back to reality. She looked at Mojo and said, "If you kill my husband, I'll make you regret it." She then saw a smile cross Mojo's face, and it scared her. She gave him too much information.

Mojo nodded and said, "Thank you for that information. I might have to rethink some things." The image disappeared. She was scared now. She didn't know what Mojo meant, but she had a feeling that it wasn't good.

She turned to her 'father' and said, "I'm scared now. What will he do to Skitz now?"

She felt him hug her, trying to comfort her. "I don't know. But something tells me that Mojo just saw another plan come to life." She didn't feel to comforted by that. Then he said, "However, that may just save Skitz's life."

She then heard Emma say, "But we might want to have Beast check him out? First, we need to finish this. This next area is odd. I'm picking multiple brainwave activity. Possibly we will have a lot of enemies to face here."

As they all ventured forward, Yvette noticed that it looked like a crypt. This was starting to scare her. As they continued down the one hall, she heard Synch say, "This is exactly like a masoleum."

Yvette then heard Darrett say, "I've seen this somewhere, but I can't place it." She wondered if it was a movie that Rich had only seen in passing. It was very creepy, just by the setting alone.

As she continued on, she noticed something in the distance. It looked like one of the crypts had a huge spherical handle. Then she noticed something eerie. It was floating, and starting in her direction. She was about to duck down when she stumbled over something. She noticed a plaque there, inscribed in her own native tounge. She looked over it and realized Rich was trying to help them. She then looked up at the ball and saw the two blades on it She stayed low, and shouted back, "Everyone get down."

She heard everyone hit the floor just before the sphere flew over where they were all standing. Yvette listend as Blink said, "What was that?"

She heard Darrett then say, "Now I know where we are. We're in one of the Phantasm movies. This is not going to be easy." Yvette looked down at the plaque. That was what Rich had said in his message. She then noticed more on the plaque. Something that made her worry. It was how Mojo managed to capture them all. He had replace one of them with a fake, and she couldn't believe who it was that had been replaced.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Emma**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emma noticed that Penance was looking at something, and made her way over to Penance. Ever since what happened with Monet, Emma had been focusing on developing Penance's psychic abilities. When she got next to her, she said mentally _"What is it, Penance?"_

She waited until Penance looked back at her and said, _"Skitz is helping us. He left us a clue about what we are up against, but there's more."_

Emma looked at the plaque. She figured Rich hadn't put the clue in English, but in Penance's native language. _"What does he say?"_ Something about Penance's face told her she wouldn't like what it was.

Penance glanced back and then looked at her and said, _"Mojo replaced one of us already. That's how he captured all of us."_ Emma looked back and realized what Penance was saying. The only one who it could be was Jubilee. The only question was when was the switch made. _"I think she might be doing stuff to sabatoge us."_

Emma just nodded and said, _"Alright, but for right now, we can't do anything. If we did anything to Jubilee now, Mojo might do something to the real Jubilee. And I think if we fail to get through this, Jubilee will be dead."_ She heard Penance gasp aloud. She then said, _"Right now, the best we can do is play this like we are trying to save Skitz."_

She watched as Penance nodded and said, _"You're right, Emma."_ She watched as Penance then looked up and said, "Looks like everything is clear right now."

As everyone started getting up, she heard Darrett say, "Ok, I know this series. I know Rich watched number 3 with me, but I know this series better than he does."

Emma watched as Sean said, "Alright lad, what do we need to find then to get out."

She listened as Darrett said, "Mojo most likely put the exit to the movie in the embalming room, where the Tall Man does his dirty work. We will have to be careful of more of his spheres, as well as dwarves. Just to let you know, everything is dead here."

Emma was puzzled by this. She looked at Darrett and said, "If everything is dead, then how am I picking up brainwave activity."

Emma was almost startled when she heard another whistle. She turned and saw another silver sphere coming right at all of them. She watched as Chamber shot a bolt of energy at it and it fell to the floor in two. She then noticed a disgusted look on everyone's faces as Chamber said, _"There's our answer. These sphere have brains."_

Darrett then said, "That's how they work. The Tall Man takes the brains from the corpse and puts it into these deadly spheres. The corpse then becomes like a mini-slave, and will do anything for the Tall Man."

She then heard Synch say, "Is there any way to stop this Tall Man?" It would help if they knew that.

She almost was crestfallen when Darrett shook his head and said, "Not really. He doesn't like cold, but it won't matter what you do to him. He just comes back."

She heard Skin remark, "Well, I think we better get moving before he comes checking on his toys. I do not want to be here when he sees what happen to one his ... troops."

She saw Husk look at Skin and say, "Change what you were going to say?"

Darrett just smiled and said, "Well, that was the tagline of the movie?"

Emma just said, "This is not the time to be making jokes and talking about the movie." She then reached down and picked up part of the broken sphere. She looked at the image she saw and smiled. "Now, we can use this to look down passages." She watched as everyone nodded and they were off.

As they made their way through the halls of the masoleum, Emma heard Jubilee say, "Darrett, how tall do you think this Tall Man would be?"

She noticed as Darrett froze and said, "Did he see us?"

Jubilee shook her head and said, "No, he just went down the hall where we came in at." Emma felt a bit releaved at that, but she expected this fake Jubilee to do something to help the Tall Man. She didn't want to tell the others. Emma knew if they all knew, Mojo might try something dangerous.

When she turned to face the front, she noticed that Mondo had disappeared. She wondered if the boy had merged with the walls. She watched as Banshee then said, "Alright everyone, Mondo says the next door is the room we are looking for, and he's says that there's hundreds of the spheres in there. He's trying to use his ability to prevent them from moving. I just hope we have enough time for him to do something."

It was almost as if Emma was expecting it, but not what she thought would happen. All of a sudden, she heard Penance scream, as if she was in terrible pain. They were lucky that Penance hadn't tensed up, but they weren't so lucky when she heard an almost growling voice yell out, "Girrrlllllll." Apparently the Tall Man heard Penance's scream.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Mondo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mondo heard Penance's scream and knew that he had to be ready to act quick. When he noticed the door to the refrigerated room, he knew what he had to do. He quickly openned that door. He noticed how everyone of the spheres slowly stopped moving. Apparently, the cold had a negative affect on them. He then heard the whole group come towards the room. He could hear Banshee say, "Hurry everyone. Last thing we need is for that bugger to get a hold of us."

He watched in silence as they all entered the room and headed for the door out. As each one past, he heard a few asking where he was. He didn't want to show where he was yet. He knew timing was everything, especially when he had to protect people he cared about, like Daria. He then saw Daria and Emma enter carrying Penance. Apparently, Penance was not totally with it. He then saw the Tall Man enter the room. Darrett was right about the man's description. In fact, it looked like the Tall Man's outfit was a few sizes too small. Just as the Tall Man was on Emma and Daria, he heard Daria say, "Mondo, help us."

It was time. The Tall Man had quickly glanced at the open door. The cold was affecting him. Mondo started to morph out of the wall and pushed the Tall Man with such force that he went flying into the refrigerated room. He quickly slammed the door and said, "Sorry, sir, but you need to chill for a bit." Afterwards he turned and said, "Everyone, to the door. He won't stay in there for long."

As they finally dragged Penance in the door, Mondo heard Darrett say, "Mondo, close the door." Mondo looked up as he got in the door and saw the small window on the refrigerated room's door shatter as a gold sphere came out with three blades on it. He didn't want to find out where it came from, but had a feeling it was the Tall Man itself.

When he finished closing the door, he heard the gold sphere ricochet off the door. He slowly sat down and then said, "What happened?" He was concerned at how fast chaos broke loose.

As everyone caught their breath from the run, he finally heard Penance say, "They're hurting Rich. I can tell. I don't know what they are doing, but I can tell." He could see it in her eyes that she wasn't making it up.

Almost as if he was waiting for the right time, the screen lit up showing Mojo. "Well done. I though a least one of you would have ended up stuck to one of those spheres."

He listend as Banshee said, "Alright Mojo, what are ye doing to Skitz?"

Mondo watched as the bloated form just said, "Nothing. It might be a strain from pulling these movie ideas from his head, but I'll cut you all a break. The fun won't start in the next area for 15 minutes. So you have that much time to get as far as you can. Just one bit of advice."

He heard a bit of venom in Jubilee's voice as she said, "What's that?"

He was unnerved when Mojo's grin got wider and said, "Have a light, and remember," The watched as Mojo moved aside, giving them a clear view of Skitz, hanging as if he was unconscious. "two hours and 45 minutes, and he dies." When the door to the next area openned, Mondo shielded his eyes from the blinding light.


	73. New Sight To The Darkness

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

That's What It's All About

New Sight To The Darkness

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Mojo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mojo spun around as the connection terminated and yelled at Spiral. "How did she know? You said that no one would know, but she knew." He was hoping to get this little task complete before anyone noticed. Spiral wheeled the boy back in and placed him back in the holding area Mojo had had him in.

When the boy was secured, he heard Spiral say, "I don't know how she knew. Maybe there is some psychic bond the two share."

Mojo then heard Jubilee go, "Well, duh. You never thought of that. I thought you would have thought of everything."

Mojo walked over to Jubilee and said, "Well, I doubt he was able to help your friends at all. The pain he felt might be the only thing he could convey to his wife, but not that you are here." However, if the boy did manage to let the redhead know about the fake Jubilee, he might have to take more precautions. He had been giving little tips to Abcissa on how to sabatoge each movie. The last one didn't go as planned due to the redhead's screaming. After he got done talking to Jubilee, he moved over to Spiral and said, "Keep an eye on both of them, and when Richard comes too, test the cameras we put in his eyes." He walked out of the room to think about what he had done. He had inserted a minicamera into both of Richard Cale's eyes. Maybe he could get some of Generation X as a drama show. He smiled when he thought of that and started to laugh.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Clarice**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Clarice looked around as they walked through the harsh wasteland. She couldn't believe how bright the sky was. Then, when she had shielded her eyes, she saw it. "Oh my God. There are three suns here." She then noticed a fearful look fill Penance's eyes. She looked over a Penance and said, "What's wrong?"

She noticed there was a bit of fear in Penance's eyes as she said, "We need something for light. It's going to be worse when it gets dark." Clarice then noticed that it did seem to be getting darker. She glanced up at the sky and noticed that a planet appeared to be blocking some of the suns.

She then heard Skin say, "Penance, we won't be in the blazing heat. That's not a bad thing."

Clarice then noticed something. Off in the distance, she saw something move atop the one rock column. It was at that moment she realized what Penance meant. She quickly turned to Darrett and said, "Darrett, do you know of anything that can produce alot of light, for a long time?"

She watched as Darrett thought for a moment. Right then, she heard Jono say, _"Don't think my light we be enough, Blink?"_ Honestly she didn't know, but she did think it would be better if Darrett did something.

She then heard Penance go, "No, it wouldn't. We need to light up the whole general area, and Darrett hurry." She then noticed that the darkness was growing. Clarice then fully appreciated the size of their problem, especially when she saw the swarming creatures in the areas that were being rapidly engulfed by darkness.

Banshee looked over at Darrett and said, "Lad, ye better think quick, or else we're dead."

Soon enough, a robot appeared with a light bulb on it's head. As it looked around, Darrett said, "Bright Man, get that lightbulb lit and keep it lit." The robot did as it was told and soon the area all around them was lit up, even when the darkness engulfed the area they were in, they were still in the light. While they were in the safety of the light, she heard Darrett say, "Penance, what movie is this?"

She was surprised when Synch said, "Pitch Black. We were watching a late night movie one night and this was the one picked. Some people crash land on a planet, and when the darkness came, these creatures came out. They had some problems, like unstable people in the group, and the creature were hunters. They followed anything bleeding."

She heard Jubilee say, "Well then, we're lucky. No one's cut." She saw Synch shake his head. Jubilee was almost irate when she said, "What do you mean no."

She then heard Emma say, "I think he means bleeding in any form. I suggest that all the ladies move to the inside of the group." As they did so, Clarice wondered how they were going to make it out of this alive.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

When Rich finally awoke, he looked out to see a somewhat familiar sight. Mojo was in front of him, as well as three screens. On the main screen, he saw Generation X huddled around one of the robots from the game series Mega Man. On the one to the right was a picture of what he and Jubilee would be dropped to if Generation X failed to reach them. It had been a deep childhood fear he thought he had overcome. The first time he saw a commercial for that musical, he had been afraid of Audrey II. As he got older, he thought it was fake, and learned that it was. Now it was there, real, and hungry. But that wasn't the most unnerving. The most unnerving thing was the screen to the left. It was everything he was looking at. It changed as he turned his head. As he watched, he heard Jubilee go, "What the blazes?" Apparently she was seeing the same thing.

Rich just said, "I don't know what that is, Jubilee, but it's freaking me out." He wondered if a camera was near his head somewhere. He then saw Mojo turnaround and smile at him. This unnerved him more.

Mojo just looked at him and said, "Glad to hear you're awake. Like my new cameras. With it, if your friends succeed, I can broadcast all their adventures. I can also show them a real life drama."

Rich closed his eyes as the realization hit him. "You put them in my eyes. That's why you knocked me out earlier." He started shaking his head in disbelief. "You are a sick maniac." The whole idea made him mad. Soon enough he heard a quiet click and realized something was missing.

As he openned his eyes, he heard an irate Mojo shout, "What's wrong with the cameras?" He looked over at the screen, and realized it was out of focus.

He heard the voice of Spiral say, "We had to make the camera's match his eyesight, so that the glasses wouldn't affect it negatively."

He heard Jubilee laugh, and say, "Mojo, you are so stupid. If Rich's glasses are gone, your camera's are useless." He started to laugh as well, as Mojo was almost fuming.

He was laughing so hard he almost forgot about the pit below him. Until he heard a voice say in a deep bass, "What was that? Is there food up there? Feed me." He forgot about the plant. Now he need hoped Generation X would hurry.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Jono**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jono looked on as they continued through the dark. Darrett's latest conjure attempt was successful, and had been helping them for the walk, even through the chasm. If wasn't for Everett's memory of the late-night movie, they might not have made it this far. They were now at a camp of some sorts, with a vehicle at the far end. That had to be the door. As they started to make their way across the camp, Jono notice the radius of the light dropped a bit then went back to normal. He turned to Darrett and said, _"Darrett, I think there is something wrong with this robot you summoned?"_

He saw everyone get scared and then watched as Banshee looked at him and said, "Darrett, check the bot. Chamber, blast a beam towards the door. It might tell us if we can make a run for it."

Jono stepped to the front of the group and started a blast up. Not a strong one, but enough to check to see how many of the creatures were there. The first blast showed nothing on the ground. He then blasted up at an angle, and saw four in the sky. Three were fighting each other. One was just flying, and watching them. Jono just said, _"Four in the sky. Three of them are fighting amonst themselves."_

He heard Synch say, "They're starved, and have started attacking each other. That's why there may be so few here." That seemed to make sense to him.

He then heard Darrett say, "Look's like Brightman here has sprung a leak. He's losing something. He might not hold out much longer."

He heard Husk say, "How did he spring a leak?" This puzzled him as well. How did that happen? He would have pressed it, but they didn't have much time.

He then heard Emma say, "We might need someone to head to the door, which means someone has to brave the dark."

He just nodded and said, _"I'll go."_ He saw Paige was about to object and he said, _"With a private source, I think they will stay back."_ His confidence seemed to passify Paige. He just hopped it would help keep him calm.

He then heard Synch say, "Jono, just some advice. They have a blind spot, right in front of their mouths." It wasn't comforting, but it was helpful. He then nodded and headed out into the darkness.

Jono knew he was taking a big risk, but he figured that he was the only one who could succeed. He was almost to the door when he noticed the bulb flicker again. Next time it might not light up. Then the next problem arose. The creature landed right in front of him. He stayed right were he was, in the creatures blind spot. As the creature moved, he moved. He was determined to stay in the blind spot, but at the right time, blast the creature. The creature got ready to move again and stopped, but Jono couldn't. The creature started to yell, but Jono blasted it. The creature yelped in pain before collapsing dead. Jono just looked at it and said _"Sorry, no snacks here."_ He then ran for the door an openned it. Light flooded the area and reached the rest of the group. He yelled back, _"Come on everyone. Let's get out of here."_

He watched as everyone ran for the door. Darrett made the bot disappear and ran as well. As they ran, his heart almost stopped. He saw Husk fall to the ground. He saw one of the creatures start to fly towards her. He quickly ran down and blasted at the creature. He then picked her up and she said, "Thank you, love."

If he could have smiled, he would have, but he responded _"You're welcome, luv."_ He then ran with her in tow into the door, and Banshee closed it. He looked around and saw that everyone was there.

He then heard Banshee say, "Well, we did better than I figured. Looks like we have two hours for the last movie."

Jono was almost startled when Mojo appeared on the screen and said, "I, too, am surprised. I was hoping at least one of you would bite the dust. Well, you do have two hours for this last movie. I do hope someone makes a mistake. I would like to have you do a few shows for me." Soon the picture faded and the door openned. He wondered what their last challange was.


	74. An Alien World

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

That's What It's All About

An Alien World

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Jubilee**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jubilee looked on at the screen. It was the final movie that Generation X would have to run through. She was scared now. No one knew that Abcissa wasn't her. At least she didn't think nobody knew, but if Rich had sent the message successfully, Penny would know. Maybe they were waiting for the right moment. If so, it had better be soon. She had noticed that Abcissa was still trying to sabotage the team. She then heard Mojo shout, "I don't believe it. How can they manage to survive these things? At least some of them should be dead. That Husk girl should be dead."

That had unnerved Jubilee abit. She had seen how Jono risked his life to save her, and how both survived. She then heard Rich say, "Jubilee, what's happening?"

She took a quick glance at the screen that was receiving the signal from Rich's eyes. It was still blurred, but not as bad as it had been. She realized he must be trying to compensate for the loss of his glasses. She then said, "Rich, they are about to enter the last movie. I hope they make it through." She noticed that Rich nodded as the screen appeared to move up and down. "I just hope they also find out that Abcissa is a fake."

She almost yelped in surprise when Mojo said, "How are they going to find out, unless they catch her. There is no way you can warn them." She didn't want to say anything of what Rich had done. By the time they took him away to put the cameras in his eyes, they had managed to get all the info from his mind that they needed.

Jubilee just looked at Mojo. She didn't want to let Mojo know that Rich had managed to inform the others in some way. She just said, "How long do you think Abcissa can go without being caught?"

She didn't like the smile Mojo gave her. "With this last one, hopefullly most of your friends will fall and be forced to stay here." It scared her. What was Mojo planning, and what was he going to have Abcissa do.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Sean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sean looked around the room, wondering where they were now. It looked very futuristic, like a space station, but the a nearby window told him they were on a planet. He looked at the scene and said, "Two hours to figure our way out of this one." He told the student to stay near the room. The last thing he wanted was them to be totally split up. He turned to Emma and said, "Now all we have to do is find out what movie we are in."

Emma looked out the window, and then at some of the other students that were still in the room. He could tell that she was trying to keep an eye, psychically, on the other students. She then said, "Sean, every one of the movies we've seen in this deathtrap has been from Rich's mind. Now, what movie do you think would hold the top spot?"

Sean almost gasped. He looked at Emma and said, "You don't honestly think that we'd be in that movie." She nodded and he just shook his head. "It can't be. Even Mojo wouldn't be that crazy."

Emma just said, "Mojo only cares about ratings. To him, that's what all this is about. This will be the ultimate ratings getter."

He wanted to argue with her about it, but Darrett walked in with a weapon and said, "Well, this looks like a sci-fi film judging by the weapons. And we have a sealed door, with a monitor showing an automatic gun on the other side."

He noticed as a few more students were holding similar weapons. He didn't like the idea of the students holding guns, but they might be their best defense now. Sean remembered seeing the movie not to long ago, and remember alot about the creatures, but he still wasn't convinced. He then heard Emma say, "Everyone, Penance has found something."

He didn't want to know what Penance had found, but he knew they all had to know. He turned to everyone and said, "Alright everyone, let's go. We don't have all day." As the students all followed him and Emma, he silently hoped it wasn't the movie they thought it was.

He felt his heart sink when they turned the corner and saw what Penance saw. A room full of facehuggers, just like in Aliens, and luckily, all were in tubes. He then heard Penance say, "I don't think we have very long to get out of here." This was not going to be a good scenario.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Abcissa**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Abcissa looked on with the others as they saw what was before them. She had to admit that Mojo had outdone himself. He must have made it exactly like the movie. As she stood there, she heard Banshee go, "How long do ye figure we have, Penance?"

She watch as the girl codenamed Penance lowered her head and said, "Once those guns fire, not long. That will be the first attempt, then the aliens will come through the ceiling. We have to find the vent that leads to the way out."

Just then, she heard the mini-speaker in her ear say, "Abcissa, are you listening?" She nodded, since she knew Mojo was watching. She then heard him say, "Here's what you have to do. You are going to turn off those guns. Then, you will get some of those Face Hugger's free. You know that you will be in no danger." She nodded. She knew she was in no danger, since Mojo had injected his nanobots into her. It's what had allowed her to look closer to her replacements age.

After Mojo had quieted down, she heard Emma say, "Alright everyone, look for that vent, and hurry. We have less than two hours to save Skitz, and less than that until those guns start to fire." She then watched as everybody went their seperate ways, but in small groups. Just as she started to head for the guns, she noticed that Penance was with Banshee and Emma.

She didn't know what they were talking about, but it had her a bit concerned. She had to act fast. Like Banshee said, they didn't have long until the guns started to fire, and she had to make sure they didn't fire. She knew that if she succeeded, most, if not all, of Generation X would die, and she would have fellow slaves. At least she wouldn't have to suffer alone anymore, and she wouldn't have to worry about being Mojo's focus, although he kept her close to him. When she finally go to the guns, she

check everything about them. She noticed a camera screen near the one gun. She looked for a moment and saw movement in the far distance, not close enough to set off the guns. Judging by the rate of movement, she had about ten to fifteen minutes to shut off the guns and free both of the face huggers. She quickly punched in the command code to activate and deactivate the guns. She smiled and said, "Now, this is one sabotage that won't fail." She quickly ran to the room where she had seen the face huggers earlier.

As she looked over the creatures, she heard echoing through the halls the student codenamed Blink saying, "Banshee, Darrett and I have found the vent." It wouldn't matter. The aliens were almost at the door, and ready to kill them all. She could at least carry one face hugger to the rest of the group.

As she walked further into the room, she heard a sound she didn't want to hear. It was the guns. She thought she had deactivated them. As the guns continued to go off, she heard Banshee say, "Everyone to the vent. We might not have much time to get out of here."

As she heard the rest of Generation X running, she quietly said, "Damn, what went wrong? I shut those guns down."

She didn't expect an answer, but she almost jumped when she heard one voice say, "You got caught, Abcissa." She turned to see Penance looking at her, with two claws ready to strike. This was not a good turn of events.


	75. End Of The Game

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

That's What It's All About

End Of The Game

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette looked straight at the girl named Abcissa. This wasn't her 'sister', and she knew it. As the guns continued to roar to life, she faced the sabatour and said, "Why, and when did this all start?"

She watched as Abcissa had grabbed a pipe. The girl looked at her and said, "I replaced Jubilee the very night before. She thought I no longer existed. Do you know how much I hate her? She escaped my existance. She managed to break free, but I must constantly serve that fat blob."

Penance had an idea of what that must be like. As she slowly approached Abcissa, she said, "And how were you able to fully look like Jubilee?" She had a hunch on how it was done, but didn't want to say it.

Abcissa swung the pipe, and Yvette jumped back. "He put those nanobots in me. That way, if my sabatoge was successful, I wouldn't be at risk of death. " This made Yvette totally upset. She couldn't hold back her anger anymore. She took a swipe at Abcissa, only to be sent flying by a swing of the pipe. She flew right into the one container and started a chain reaction. As she got up, Abcissa said, "See. I already have the upperhand. You can't think straight with your husband in trouble." She also noticed that one of the containers that had a live facehugger in it was now open.

Abcissa appeared to be right. She noticed that Abcissa was swinging again. She quickly rolled out of the way, and with the roll, she sliced the pipe Abcissa was holding. She then saw Abcissa's grin. She just changed things in Abcissa's favor. Abcissa rammed the pipe down in her direction, but she quickly jumped out of the way. As she backed away from Abcissa, she heard the guns stop. She turned and said, "Abcissa, if we don't stop this, we will both be dead." She then noticed something on the ceiling above Abcissa. It was the loose facehugger. It was preparing to pounce, but not on her.

She heard Abcissa just laugh and say, "So we die, then Mojo will put us in another show, and I'll use a pipe like this to impale you again. I doubt you can survive that, especially over and over and over again." She could see that Abcissa was getting some sort of perverse pleasure out of this.

As Abcissa neared her, Yvette saw that the creature was ready to pounce. She looked at her attacker and said, "Abcissa, you're forgeting about one thing." She watched as the girl glanced up and the facehugger came right now on her face. She watched as Abcissa tried to force the thing off. She knew that it was hopeless, unless there were more people there, but Abcissa would try to kill them all. She also noticed that the guns were silent. She wanted to save Abcissa, but knew that Abcissa wasn't her friend.

She did the only thing she felt was right. She turned and ran out of the room. She had to save Skitz, her husband, and Jubilee, her 'sister'. When she reached the vent, she ran at full force, making her way to the rest of the group. When she got there, she heard Synch ask, "Where's Jubilee?'

She looked at her teammate and said, "Where she's been since this started. Trapped at the end of this run with Rich. The one that was with up was an imposter." She saw how upset everyone was.

It was then when Banshee said, "Well, we have about an hour to reach then end of this and rescue them. I take it Abcissa is detained, but not dead?"

Yvette looked at Banshee and said, "'Father,' she is not at risk. Mojo had those nanobots in her already." She saw how her father looked at her. She should have done more, but he knew that it would have been hopeless.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Mojo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mojo was moving around the room like he was running for his life. "I don't believe it. How did they figure out Abcissa wasn't Jubilee. She never tipped them off, unless..." Mojo turned to face Richard Cale and said, "It was you." He watched as Rich smiled and nodded. "That's it. You're dead. You've messed this up too much."

Just as he went to push the release button, he heard Spiral yell, "The ratings are starting to drop." He stopped. He needed the ratings, and killing the prize too soon would kill his ratings.

He turned to Spiral and said, "How much time until they get here?" He watched as Spiral looked up at the screen and then at the console. He didn't like how many times she looked between the two.

She then looked at him and said, "Less than 5 minutes. The aliens are about 10 minutes behind them, and there is about 15 minutes still on the clock. If we delay them, the rating might drop."

Before he could say anything, Mojo heard it. The door started to crack and was blown open. If was Banshee's wail. He felt the force of the scream push him back toward the pit. Last thing he wanted was to fall into the pit with the plant. He would be at least three meals for the plant. He tried to warn Banshee, as he yelled at the top of his lungs, "You win. Come collect your prize."

He watched as the first throught the door was the girl codenamed Penance. She scared him as she moved forward and said, "If you've hurt my husband, or Jubilee, I will make you pay."

He continued to back up, forgeting where he was and said, "Spiral, set them free and send them hommmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee." As he fell backwards, he heard the plant move itself. He didn't want to end up in the plant. He then realized he got his wish as he heard a crunch and the plant was flattened beneath him.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Emma**  
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Emma looked down into the pit that Mojo had backed up into. At the bottom was a huge plant that had been crushed by his fall. She had a good feeling about what it was, and that it would have been Skitz and Jubilee that would have been dropped in there. She noticed then that Spiral was working some controls. She was about to shout when Spiral went, "As the game goes, you've won, and can collect your prizes."

Emma watched as two walkways extened to the holding devices. As some of the students ran to help Skitz and Jubilee out, she and Sean looked at Spiral and said, "You were going to transport us back to our school." She watched as the six-armed being nodded.

Sean then said, "We want ye to change the destination. We're heading to the X-Mansion." She noticed that Spiral looked perplexed by this, but reluctantly did as she was told.

When the portal was created, she turned to the student and said, "Everyone, get though, and when you get over there call for Hank." She watched as all the students headed into the portal. She then turned to Sprial and said, "And tell Mojo that if he ever abducts my students again, his brain will be vacent." She expect Sean to object, but he didn't. She then jump through the portal with Sean and it closed behind them.

When she got up, she heard Hank say, "Emma, what's wrong? What happened?"

She turned to Dr. McCoy and said, "We were just guests of Mojo, and we think Richard might have had so extra treatment done to him. If you can take care of it, we'd all apreciate it."

She watched as some of the students followed Hank as he took Rich of to the X-Men's med center. As she waited, she head Sean say, "We meant what ye said back there, about wiping his mind." He knew her too well.

She just nodded and said, "We don't need him taking advantage of us. Especially if he plans to tape our very moves through Richard." She watched as he nodded.

Sean then said to her, "At least ye didn't do it then, but the fact that we all survived is better than vengence or threats." She had to agree on that. Sean then said to her, "But right now, the most important thing is that Rich recovers. This might make his life very different." She nodded and hoped all would be ok.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Abcissa**  
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When Abcissa openned her eyes, she saw Spiral standing to her left. The look she gave her was not a good look. She then heard Spiral say, "Mojo, Abcissa has awakened." She didn't like the tone in Spiral's voice. It had almost a pleasing sadistic sound to it.

She watched as Mojo walked over to her. His spider legs were moving odd, but she didn't know why. The nanobots had her out for some time, keeping her alive as they remended her body after what the alien did. When she finally sat up, she head Mojo say, "Good to see you awake, Abcissa, your new show is about to start."

"New show..." The words caught her off guard, but then she noticed her outfit. She was wearing a string bikini with a yellow cross right at her shoulder. She looked over herself and said, "What is this?"

She saw Mojo smile and said, "Your wardrobe for your new show. I had to do something since you failed to stop Generation X, and the only thing I could do was merge some hit shows from Earth. Now you are Abcissa, Warrior Beach Vampire Hunter. Now hurry on, you've got to make you entrance. And do your best to make the ratings high, like running. That should get every guy watching." She had no choice in the matter. This was her new fate. Now, more than ever, she hated Jubilee.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Grimore**  
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Grimore looked over at his masters as they entered the apartment. Two days ago, Yvette came to him and told him that Rich had to say with the X-Men for a few days. Now Rich was home, but not much for the better. Both his eyes were bandaged. Grimore looked at him and said, "Sir, what happened to you?"

He listened intently as Rich sat down on a chair Yvette had guided him to and said, "A madman put camera's in my eyes, and Dr. McCoy removed them. It will take time for my eyes to heal." Now he understood why the bandages were there.

He quickly jumped onto Rich's lap and said, "Sir, I've been worried about you." He purred as Rich started to pet him.

Rich just said, "I know, everyone has." Just then the phone rang. Rich acted like he was looking at the phone, but said, "Yvette, luv, can you answer that?" Grimore knew which of the two phones it was. It was the private line that only the two friends knew.

After Yvette picked up, Grimore watched as she faced Rich and said, "It's Cartier, Monet's father. He said he's coming here in a few weeks to discuss something with you and the other member of the group." Grimore knew of what happened with Monet. No one had told Cartier about it yet.

Grimore looked at the two and said, "He must want to discuss about who get's his title when he dies. Marius is too unstable."

He felt Rich pet him again and said, "Let me." He watched as Rich took the phone and said, "Cartier, if you can get here in two weeks, I will be here to talk about everything, and we have alot to talk about." He listened as Rich hung up the phone and then said, "Grimore, is that the only reason he's coming?"

Grimore shok his head and said, "No, he need to sort something out with you, and it's a yearly tradition, to renew their bonds. It date's back to the 900's." He watched as Rich nodded. The boy understood. He got off Rich as Yvette helped him up. He watched as the two walked to their bedroom. Apparently, Rich was feeling washed out. However, from what Grimore had been told, this had taken a toll on all of Generaion X. He never understood the facination with horror, since some of it was real. He wondered how Rich and Yvette would cope after that night would happen.


	76. Bad News Coming

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Win Some, Lose Some

Bad News Coming

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Richard**  
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Richard Cale knew he was dreaming. The fact that he saw everything around him tipped him off. Not long ago, he had been kissing his lovely wife, Yvette, in their dreams. But something had happened, she had disappeared. Even the scene had changed. He was now in a classroom. He looked at the students, and he could swear they were all from the cartoon Daria. As he stared in disbelief, one girl dressed as a cheerleader said, "Mr. Cale, aren't you going to start class?"

He continued looking on in disbelief. Sean had told him that for a few classes, he'd have to teach, but this was just too odd. It was a weird dream, but why was he having it. The only thing he could do was see it through. He looked at the girl and said, "Yes." Then he felt compelled to ask about the four empty chairs he just noticed. "Where are the other students?"

One student, with orange hair, said, "They're outside, Mr. Cale, talking with another teacher." Rich watched as the student pointed to an open window. As he walked over to it, he almost froze in horror. He had seen the one they were talking to before. It was Emplate, but as he would have looked without the resperator.

The horror he felt increased when he heard one student behind him say, "Why don't you talk to them?" As if to punctuate the statement, the student pushed him out the window. From inside, it looked like he was on ground level, but now he was falling past many flights. He quickly grabbed something on the wall, and was surprised to see it was his sword.

As he held onto the sword, he heard Emplate say, "Yes, Skitz, why don't you come over to me and talk?" He heard Emplate start to laugh. It sounded like the laughter was right below him. He looked down and saw and even more frightening sight. One of Emplate's mouth was right below him, ready to swallow him up.

He held tighter to the sword and said, "This is only a dream. I have to wake up." The dream just got worse at that point as his sword came loose from the wall. He was falling again, with no hope of surviving.

With a scream of fright, he woke up, too scared even to sit up. He needed to be sure he was awake. He shook his head side to side, and then remembered. The bandages wouldn't let him see. He was blind, but he was scared. For a second, he just laid there, 'looking' whatever direction he was facing and said, "God, why do I have these nightmares?" When he had nightmares like that, it usually meant something was going to happen. However, Emplate had been quiet lately, but that didn't mean much. Right now, Rich needed comfort, something or someone to help him calm down, to know he was safe. He had finally determined he was laying on his back, and Yvette was next to him on her side. He quickly turned onto his side and reached around. He hoped his arm was going around her waist, mainly because he didn't want to wake her. When he felt his arm was around her, he held her tight, and as he did, he felt the fear the nightmare caused to slowly ebb away.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Yvette**  
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Yvette's eyes shot wide open when she felt a pain shoot through her. She half wanted to cry out, but decided not to. She looked down to where the cause of the pain was and saw her husband's hand and arm half across her waist and half across her chest. Something told her that something in his dreams scared him. However, she couldn't turn to face him, not with the death grip he had on her. She just quietly said, "Richard, my love."

Almost immediately, she heard him say, "Did I wake you, I'm sorry if I woke you when I awoke?" He still hadn't released his grip. He still didn't realized that he woke her with his death grip.

She then said, "Dear, you might want to move your arm, or I'm going to need to get new outfits." That was probably an exageration, especially with the fact that she was an ultra fast healer.

Soon, she felt him release her as he said, "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't know where my arm was. The nightmare had me all worked up. I just needed to hold you for comfort." She understood what he meant. She had had a few nightmares that made her do the same. The only difference was that she never accidentially crushed him. She did attribute that to the fact he was still blind from what happened with Mojo. Dr. McCoy said that the bandages would come off soon. During that time, she was his eyes. She liked how it felt, to have him rely on her. Most of her life, she was a servent, or worse, a slave. She didn't like that. She did relish the power of having one rely on you.

She turned to face him, and placed her hand on his cheek. "It's alright dear. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. Do you want to tell me what your nightmare was about?" She felt him shiver. She held him close to her and said, "Don't worry. I'll protect you." It felt a little odd for her to say that, but to her it felt right.

Soon, she felt Rich stop shaking as he said, "Emplate was in it." She also tensed in fright when he said that, and then he said, "He had four girls with him. He was up to something. He wasn't after us. I'm not sure, but he was after the girls in my dream." Yvette started to wonder what it meant. When Rich had a nightmare, she knew it was a premonition.

She kissed him gently on the lips and said in their mindlink, _"Love, you know that you can handle Emplate. He doesn't dare attempt to attack since you're the Paladin. Now, let's get back to sleep. We're going to be very busy tomorrow."_

When she finally stopped kissing him, she noticed a devilish smile on his face. He just continued smiling as he said aloud. "You're enjoying this, aren't you? You like being the one in charge."

She pushed him onto his back and pinned him down and said, "Is it that obvious, my love?" As he nodded, she said, "Well, most times, I've been the helpless one. I can't help but enjoy this. I do have you in the palm of my hand. You need me for almost everything you do."

He then laughed and said, "Yvette, you know that I might make up for all of this when I can see again." She knew what he meant. She knew he didn't really care for being helpless in this way. Most of the things he liked to do, he used his eyes in them. Now he couldn't, she knew he couldn't even look at her.

She started to french kiss him, and in their mind link said, _"I'm hoping that you do."_ When she stopped the french kiss, she heard a little hydrolic door open. She looked towards the one spot in the room and saw the cat box was empty. Appartenly Grimore, their cat, decided to take a walk.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Grimore**  
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Grimore walked through the halls. He had heard Rich wake up, and literally saw the whole incident. While Rich and Yvette were married, he knew the Rich was still embarassed about perfectly harmless incidents, and even awkward ones embarassed him. However, he did want to get out of the room in case the two got active. He had been stirred from his sleep one night, only to discover the two in a rather passionate session. It was his cat instincts that told him to get out before anything happened again. As he walked through the halls, he just said to himself, "Why is it that when Richard has a nightmare, I don't sleep for two days afterwords?" He meowed and continued through the hall to a door outside.

When he stepped outside, he sensed something in the air. As he made his way to where he thought it was, he swore he heard a voice say, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty." He gave a suspicious look around, and got closer to where he thought her heard the noise from. As he neared the location, he had realized he was nearing the spot where his master had killed the evil mutant terrorist known as Black Tom Cassidy. There was only one thing wrong. Over the course of months and years, the remains of the face stayed there, and now they were gone. He had seen the face here not more than a few hours ago which meant only one thing. Someone was here.

He heard a twig snap, and instinct told him to run. He didn't want to lure trouble to his masters, not now that Richard was without sight. As he bolted, he heard one voice say, "Idiot, we need the cat." He kept running and headed to one of the other buildings. As he ran, he heard the same voice say, "Where did that cat go?"

He didn't want to let anyone know where he going. He'd have to return to the apartment later, but for now, he was going to run toward the first place he could find with an open door. He then saw the door to the girls dorm open. He bolted towards it, only to run straight in to the girl named Clarice. He felt her grab him, and as she lifted him up, she said, "Alright, you cute little ball of fur. What has you spooked? I know if you're spooked, it's not good for Richard and Yvette." He watched as she took him inside and closed the door. He was thankful for Clarice's presense. She helped make things seem better.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Claudette**  
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Claudette St. Croix could not believe the stupidity of her minions. All they had to do was capture Grimore, Richard Cale's cat, and they couldn't even do that. She walked over to Q. T. and said, "You, the most reliable of all my minions, can't even catch a cat, but scare it away."

She knew that Q. T. had an attitude, but Q. T. always gave her a straight answer. "No ma'am. I almost had the cat, but then Golden stepped on a twig." She glanced over at Golden and noticed that he had indeed stepped on a twig. She saw an apologetic look cross his face.

Just before she could tear into Golden, she heard her associate say, "Now lass, there is more than one way to catch our quarry. If I remember right from me clone, Richard Cale had a lass he cared for." She faced her new partner in chaos. She knew that he hadn't died that day. She had figured if he created a clone of Mondo, he had cloned himself. However, she was not surprised when she saw who was at his hideout.

She came back to her senses and said, "Yes, Black Tom, he does care for the woman who is now his wife. If we catch her, he would walk right into our trap."

She then heard the man called Juggernaut say, "You mean that mutant that sliced my helmet the last time is that guy's wife? No wonder she tried to stop me." She was amazed at how much Cain Marko remembered of that day, due to the fact that Richard Cale fried his brain with a psi-bolt.

She watched as Tom waved his hand and said, "You'll get a chance to do some damage, Cain. Right now, we need to find someway of capturing the gal, without bringing all of me cousin's students down on us. Waiting here is out of the question. Claudette, do ye know of any way we can capture the gal?"

She smiled and said, "Maybe, I've noticed on our spyings that she left the school alone once and headed to town. I think something might be happening that he can't leave the campus right now. I'd be tempted to attack, but they might be more on their guard then usual. I want to single Skitz out."

She watched Tom nod and said, "Alright lass, that's what we'll do. We'll head back to the base, and plot her kiddapping." Claudette smiled at that thought. Maybe she could have a little fun torturing Penance while Rich came to the rescue.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Emplate**  
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Emplate sat in his chair at his hideout. It was a good hideout, close enough to Generation X for him to find any weak spots, but far enough away to not be attacked. However, he was getting things ready for a new hideout. He had a feeling that Generation X knew where he was, and if he was successful in recapturing Yvette, and capturing Richard Cale, they would be there in no time. Emplate had to admit one thing. It was because of Richard Cale that he met his true love, Elane. She gave him some freedoms, and one day, he'd have more. Maybe all he needed was to capture and even kill Richard Cale. He was almost lost in that thought when D.O.A., his manservent, enter the room and said, "Sir, I have a status report on the targets."

Emplate motioned D. in and said, "Where are they, and are we going to be able to abduct all of them." He knew some of the fact about the four he was after. One was that they were all girls, but the more important fact was that only one was a mutant, but her ability made the other girls mutants. He liked that idea, especially with the events that would be happening in the future.

He listened intently as D. said, "Well, sir, it looks like they are heading to the Massachucetts Academy. The spy cameras I set up picked up that Godiva Cale told the fathers of all the girls that her cousin is someone that can handle their 'Monster' problem.

Emplate looked over at D and said, "So you're saying she sent them to the Paladin, as Richard is known now. This does not look good for my plans on capturing them. The mutant girl has some potential, and would be more useful to me than to anyone else. What about the other girls?"

He watched as D. looked over some notes and then said, "It looks like you were able to dupe the one gal. She took the communicator and will contact us at the right moment." He nodded and then stood up. As he started to walk for the door, he heard D. ask, "Sir, how is Aura faring?" His manservent could see his concern for his love.

Emplate just sighed and said, "As well as can be expected. D., hunt down a doctor, for when the time comes, we will need one." Emplate left the room and went to the room that Elane had resided in. When he reached the room, he entered and said, "Elane, my love, are you alright?"

He watched as she looked at him and said, "I'll be fine. Imagine how Generation X will take this news. How about the search for those girls?"

He just gently touched her head and said, "In due time, my dear, and if things go right, we will have a new hideout as well." He had been planning this for some time. He couldn't risk being so close to Generation X anymore. He needed to move his base so they couldn't plan a counterstrike. When he saw her smile, he just said, "For now, rest a bit. If things go right, we might have an endless supply of mutants."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Sean**  
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Sean Cassidy was sitting in his office, behind his desk. He looked over at Emma and said, "Well Emma, today is the day we have to face the music." That fact was all too true. Cartier St. Croix would be arriving today to visit Rich, but would want to know about Monet. He still wasn't sure what to tell him.

He noticed that Emma just glanced out the window and said, "Maybe it would be best if Richard told him." Sean had to agree on that one. Cartier was mainly coming to see Rich, and the lad might be able to explain it better. He knew that even though Rich was one of the victims, the boy understood that Monet herself was in a bad spot.

Sean just looked at Emma and said, "You know, Emma, that lad has a good head on his shoulder at times. However, he has been a handful these past two weeks." Sean stopped that thought and then said, "but I guess it is to be expected. The lad hasn't been able to see a thing since what happened on Mojoworld."

Sean was almost startled when he heard Richard say, "I'm sorry if I been a pain these past few days. It's hard going through life not seeing a thing when you've become so use to it. I'm just thankful everyone has helped me out during all this." Sean understood what Rich meant. All the kids had helped him out in someway. Although Yvette was doing most of it, everyone else did their fair share. He then heard the lad say, "By the way, Sean, I thank you again for running down to get Cartier and my other guest. They will probably be there at the airport together."

Sean looked at the boy and said, "Lad, are ye coming along? They are your guests after all." Sean was almost startled when the boy shook his head.

He then Emma say, "Rich thought he might as well start doing some teaching, so I've agreed to let him teach a course in Creative Thinking. That way, he doesn't feel like a fifth wheel." Sean could understand why. The boy was getting very edgy.

As he got up, he walked over to Rich and said, "Ok lad, but what if he asks about Monet? Emma and I agreed that he should talk to you first." He could tell that the boy was thinking, but even so, he couldn't tell if it was a troubled thought or not.

Finally his 'son-in-law' said, "Just tell him that we need to talk. I don't know what else to say, and it probably won't hit me until we are face to face, so to speak." Sean nodded at that, although Rich couldn't see it, Yvette probably told him what he had done.

As he headed to leave, he heard Yvette say, "Take care, 'father', and please drive safely." As he left, he only wondered what the boy would teach in this course. He had heard of Creative Writing in schools, but never Creative Thinking. He wondered what Emma and Rich had planned for this course.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Emma**  
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As Sean left the school, Emma turned to Rich and said, "Are you nervous about your first time teaching?" She had noticed that he seemed a bit nervous about something, and she wondered if it was teaching, or this meeting today.

She watched as he nodded and said, "I'm a bit nervous. The whole idea of teaching them how to think creatively and to why the need for creative thinking exists sounds difficult." She could tell how hard he was thinking about the subject.

Emma heard Yvette say, "Yes, and you're the best person to teach that. Look at what your family has dealt with. They have dealt with legends and folklore. You love reading, games, and thinking." She watched as Rich nodded each time.

Emma then said, "All of which qualifies you for this course. Also, with the fact that this is a new course anywhere, you can set your own standards and grading." She noticed that the boy still looked uncomfortable about something. She then said, "What else is bothering you, Richard?"

Her blood almost went cold when Yvette said, "He had a nightmare. We were up most of the night trying to calm him down." That was the one bad thing about Richard that she could see. His nightmares were usually the harbinger of bad news, and were always right.

Emma then looked at Rich and said, "Richard, how are you staying awake? I mean you're eyes are always shut right now. Hank said that was the only way those cameras would disappear." When Hank McCoy had told them how the camera's were designed, he said that Rich would have to be blindfolded for about two to three weeks. She could only wonder what Rich was going through.

She watched as Yvette started to turn and Rich said, "Well, I think it's time. Hopefully, this class will go well. However, I am expecting this to have a few jokes and such." Emma walked out and down with them. She wanted to supervise this, just in case he did a good job. She even had an idea on what some of the jokes might be.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Clarice**  
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Clarice walked towards the class with Grimore in her arms. She didn't know why the cat stayed with her that night, but she knew something was up. One of the things she remembered of the Richard Cale in her timeline was his cat. The cat knew when things were up. The cat even knew just before Richard had died in her timeline. However, she had seen the cat die, and that was when Richard died. She could still remember the horrible way he had died in her timeline. Both he, and his wife, had been made the victims of experiments by the Dark Beast. She was almost deep in thought about that terrible event, when she heard Paige say, "Hey Clarice, good thing you got here. The teacher hasn't shown up yet."

Clarice heard the slight chuckles in the class room, and understood why. For most of them, the situation was awkward. As she sat down at a desk, she just said, "I must be the only person looking forward to this." It was true. In her world, Magneto had often commented on how smart Richard Cale was. Before his capture and death, Richard Cale had helped her X-Men put a major dent in Apocaylpse's forces.

She then heard Daria say, "Is that why you have Grimore? Trying to get in good with the teacher." Some of them didn't know that the cat had been with her for part of the evening.

Clarice just petted the cat and said, "No, I heard something last night, and when I openned the door to the dorm, he just darted inside. I think something spooked him." She noticed a bit of a worried look on everyone's faces. She understood why they were worried. Even she knew that Grimore was more than an ordinary cat.

She was almost startled when she heard a voice say, "Well, I was wondering where Grimore got to." She turned to see Richard being lead into the room by Yvette and Emma. She watched as the cat just scampered out of her arms and over to Rich. She heard it meow and Rich said, "Calm down, Grimore. I've got a class to teach now." She watched as Yvette helped Rich to the desk in the front of the room and then went to a seat. It was now apparent that Yvette was to be a student in the class. She then heard Rich say, "Alright everyone, this is the first day for the class Creative Thinking. There is one sure fire way to get an A in this course and that is..."

Clarice almost jumped when Jubilee said, "To sleep with the teacher." She heard some laughter go around the room. She also saw how Yvette looked, as if she was shocked. Emma looked on, a bit disgusted, but Clarice noticed Rich's calm look. She could swear that even though he was blindfolded, he could see where Jubilee was sitting in the class room. She could tell something was about to happen, and Jubilee was about to be in deep trouble.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IX. Jubilee**  
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Jubilee could see that Emma was upset at everyone's actions, but she could tell Emma was expecting something. She wondered if Emma was going to say something when she heard Rich say, "No Jubilee. The only way to pass this class is prove you have a brain, and prove you can think. Now can you answer me this question Jubilee." She looked at him, and even though he was blindfolded, she could feel he was looking at her. He then said, "As I was travelling to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven kids. Each kid had seven cats, and each cat had seven kits. How many were going to St. Ives?"

Jubilee felt dumbstruck. She didn't know how many were going. He had said it so fast, she wasn't sure of all the details. She had heard seven a few times, but she wasn't sure if that the answer or not. Finally she decided she'd guess. It had to be at least this man and maybe one of his wives, if not all. She looked at Rich and said, "Eight."

She almost smiled until Rich just said, "Dead wrong." She noticed that Emma was walking up to her and Rich said, "Emma is handing you a paper with the answer, and your assignment, if no one answers the question correctly, is to write about where all the others were going, one paragraph for each of the others." Jubilee looked at the paper, and almost dropped her jaw open in surprise. It had the answer on it, and how many were not going to St. Ives. She watched as Rich just said, "Can any one else answer the question, and I'm not repeating it."

Jubilee started to feel panicked. She could see how everyone was writing numbers down, trying to come up with the right answer. She couldn't answer it now, even though the right answer was in front of her. She then heard Paige say, "Rich, yah can't expect us to come up with the right number under such high pressure." Jubilee realized that even Paige was not ok with the idea of an assignment.

She noticed that Rich was not letting it phase him. It was as if Rich the student had disappeared and was replaced by Richard Cale, the strict instructor. "Paige, are you saying you have no idea what the answer is?"

Jubilee watched and hoped that Paige could answer the question, but Paige's actions told her that her friend and teammate was dumbfounded. She was almost startled when she heard Mondo say, "One." It was the answer, and she couldn't believe that Mondo answered it.

She faced Richard again and saw he was smiling. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as Rich said, "Very good, Mondo. I think you just save Paige from the same assignment that Jubilee would have had, but how did you arrive at that conclusion?"

She wanted to know the answer to that as well and said, "Yea, Mondo, how did you come up with that solution?" She hoped it wasn't something simple, because she would feel like a complete doofus if it was.

Mondo then said, "Because Rich told us." Jubilee thought about the question again and realized Mondo was right. "All the other numbers and that was about a person he met, but he never said the man was going to St. Ives." Rich had succeeded in confusing her with details she didn't need, and she didn't see it.

She watched as Rich stood up and said, "Bravo, Mondo. That was exactly the point of the question, and what this class will hopefully teach you. I hope to teach you how to think. How to find solutions, no matter how odd they maybe. I plan to show you that just because I give you all the information, doesn't mean you need it." Jubilee figured she should take out some paper, because this was one class she wasn't going to miss the lectures on.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
X. Cartier**  
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As Cartier got off the plane, he looked around and relaxed. He had been worried that the flight would have some sort of problem. As he started in the direction of the baggage claim, he turned back and said, "Gabe, are you coming?"

He watched as a young gentleman came out of the plane and headed in his direction. As the man neared him, he said, "I'm here, don't worry. It's not like I not familiar with America. I did come from the states." Cartier knew that was true, but he also remembered that Gabe was from the southern part of the country, not the Massachucetts area.

As they headed for their luggage and customs, Cartier said, "True, but remember, we are in Massachucetts, and when you meet Richard, you should not expect typical kids." He had mentioned to Gabe on the plane that Richard was a mutant, as were the other children at the school.

After some time past and they had cleared customs and baggage claim area, Gabe said, "Cartier, is part of this about who is going to be your heir? I know you said that tradition says it would go to your son, and you said he couldn't handle it." Cartier just nodded, and Gabe said, "So it's more than the usual get together. Well, I hope things can be worked out."

Cartier looked at his friend and said, "So do I, Gabe, So do I." Cartier then said, "Listen, Richard said he'd arrange for us to have a lift to the school. So all we have to do is sit tight." Cartier then noticed that four teenage girls were heading over in his direction. One looked as if she knew him, but he didn't know where. When they finally stopped, he said, "Excuse me, can I help you?"

The lead girl looked at him and aid, "Excuse me, are you Richard Cale?" He was shocked at the question, was this another person looking for the Paladin's help. He just shook his head and watched as the girl turned to the one in the back and said, "I told you it wasn't him."

He then heard the girl in back say, "But he looks like the picture in Lady Godiva museum. He might know Richard Cale." He noticed a humorous look cross Gabe's face. He understood where that look came from.

He then said, "Actually, ladies, I am a good friend of Richard Cale's. Did he know you would be arriving today?"

He was very surprised to hear the one girl say, "No, he didn't. Godiva was suppose to phone him."

Cartier then noticed that Sean Cassidy was walking into Logan Airport. Maybe Sean knew about these girls, and maybe not. He just wave his hand and Sean walked over. As he neared, Sean said, "Cartier, it's good to see ye again."

Cartier just nodded and said, "It good to see you again. I take it that Rich had you pick all of us up." He motioned to Gabe and the four girls and saw the puzzled look on Sean's face. Maybe Godiva never got in touch with Richard.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
XI. Sean**  
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Sean was a bit startled when he saw all the people that Cartier brought with him. Sean looked at him and said, "Cartier, I thought Rich said you were only coming with the family friend?"

He heard the one girl say, "Oh that's terrific. We get sent here for protection and we end up stranded." The girl seemed a bit uppity. He then saw her look at the one girl in the group and said, "Chris, this is all your fault." He watched the girl shrink back.

Cartier then said, "Sean, Godiva sent them up here. I don't know why, but apparently Godiva thought it was for the best. Didn't she call the school before you left?"

Sean shook his head and said, "She didnae. However, if she did call after I left, everyone is in a class right now. If Godiva thinks it's for the best, ye all better come with me." As they headed out the door, Sean looked at Cartier and said, "This day is full of surprises, isn't it?"

Cartier looked at him and said, "It is indeed. I'm hoping for no unpleasent surprises. Hopefully no other family visits, not like last time we met." Sean had to agree with that. Last time they had met was at Godiva's museum in Easton.

As they all left the terminial, Sean noticed something he had remembered seeing before. Almost like deja vu, he noticed a black limo. He thought it was the same limo from when he picked up Rich at Logan Airport, but then dismissed it. As they headed past it, Sean said, "Me van this way. I'll tell ye this much, it might take some time getting to the school with the Big Dig going on."

As they all got into the van, Cartier said, "You said that everyone is in a class right now. Who is teaching it?"

Sean just looked at Cartier and said, "Rich is. Since he's co head-master, Emma and I figured it would be best to have him teaching some classes." It was the truth. He was glad Cartier didn't ask him about Monet.

He thought that too soon as Cartier just said, "And how is Monet doing in classes?" One question Sean didn't want to hear. He knew that everyone wanted Rich to talk to Cartier about it, but how could he delay it.

He then had a brainstorm. He turned to Cartier and said, "To be honest, sir, Rich wanted to talk to you about it since your family and his are so close." He watched as Cartier nodded. He then continued his drive to the school, and glanced back to see that the black limo was now leaving Logan Airport as well. He wondered if they had picked up their guest.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
XII. D.O.A.**  
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D.O.A. jumped into the limo just after Sean had gotten the van started. He had seen everything that had transpired in the airport. He figured that Emplate would not like the turn of events that had happened. He was suppose to intercept the girls and take them back to the lighthouse, however by the time he got in there, one of them had spotted Emplate's father. Now the whole trick would be explaining it to Emplate. While his own abilities had never awakened, he knew Emplate sensed them. However, he always proved his usefulness to Emplate. As he made his way through the back roads of Massachucetts, he eventually arrived at the lighthouse, while Sean was still working his way through the city of Boston. When he got out of the car, he headed straight for the door. As he ran in, he almost knocked over Emplate's newest follower. he saw the sad look on the boy's face, but he didn't care. He ran up the steps to the top of the lighthouse and to the room that Emplate usually resided in. He was almost startled to see Elane up on her feet and next to the master. When he finally entered, he heard Emplate say, "Did you get them, D.?"

He didn't want to move, just in case Elane faced him. He then said, "No, sir. The situation got more complicated. Your father came across them, with his one friend." He felt himself lift up into the air and almost panicked. He thought it was Aura and noticed that she had only sat down. It was Emplate. All the master was doing was holding his hand out like he was expecting something to be put in it. If it had been Elane's power, he would have felt something around him, but he was in a free fall. "Sir, I didn't know he'd be here."

He fell when Emplate quickly lowered his hand quickly and said, "It is indeed a problem in the plan, and no doubt that if Richard finds out that I'm involved, those girls will never be in my grasp. Now, what we need is for something to happen to get the groups to split up." As D.O.A. got up, he heard Emplate ask, "Does the one girl still have the communicator?"

D.O.A. nodded and said, "Yes, the one called Britney still has it. Clever plan of yours to make sure no one saw me deliever them. What message should I send to her?"

He watched as Emplate thougth for a moment, and then noticed that Elane said, "Tell her, that if she hopes to secure her and her friends safety, she should notify us when we can abduct the mutant girl with least resistance."

D.O.A. nodded and said, "Right, she already thinks that by helping us, she and her two friends will be safe and her mutant friend Christina will be gone. I like it, if you like it sir." He looked at Emplate and watched as Emplate just nodded and sat down next to Elane and held her hand. He left the room to send the message. He wondered how the upcoming event were going to change things around the hideout. He could only think that he'd have more duties to preform.


	77. A New Partnership

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Win Some, Lose Some

A New Partnership

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Quinn**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Quinn walked through the complex that belonged to her boss's new partner. She still wondered about why her boss had sought out the help of this man. She had to admit that this Tom fellow had a very nice place, and well equipped. She wondered if this Black Tom fellow was planning some sort of attack on a large scale. When she finally reached the room where her boss was, she said, "Ma'am, can I ask you a question?"

She watched as her boss turned to face her and said, "What is it, Quinn, and you may call me Claudette."

Quinn felt honored that her boss insisted that she call her by her name. "Yes Claudette. I was wondering why you have teamed up with this Black Tom fellow. I don't understand what his connection to Richard Cale is."

She saw her boss smile and say, "Sit down, Quinn, and I'll give you an account, as my sister and I was told." She did as she was told and Claudette then said, "You see, a month after Richard joined Generation X, Black Tom attacked the school. During the fight, Black Tom struck at Penance which sent Richard into a fit of rage. The result ended in the apparent death of Black Tom. However, I figured that if Black Tom had cloned one of the Generation X members, he had also cloned himself."

She now had an understanding on why this partnership was formed. She then said, "So you teamed up with this Black Tom because he hates Richard as well." She felt a rush as she thought she had figured everything out.

She was almost started when Claudette said, "Not exactly, Quinn. You see, I have another reason for working with Black Tom."

Quinn was almost in shock. "You mean to say you didn't just team up with him to attack Rich?" She didn't know what other reasons there could be, and then she started to wonder if it was related to clones at all. This Black Tom fellow seemed to have prefected working with them.

She watched as her boss sat back and said, "I know what your thinking, Quinn, and you're right." She motioned to her left, and Quinn looked over and saw the clone for the first time. Claudette then said, "You see, in this body, I am both myself and my sister. Imprisoned in my mind is my sister, and if she breaks free, I'm trapped."

Quinn quickly put two and two together. "So you are creating the clone so you can be permanently seperated." When her boss nodded, she started to think about one thing and said, "But won't the clone have the split mind like you do?"

She watched as her boss just smiled. "I didn't forget about that. I'm already taking steps to make sure we don't have to worry about that. Now, we must get going. We have a kidnapping to plan." Quinn smiled at that thought. She would love to see what Black Tom had in mind for capturing Yvette Cale. She even hoped that she could cause the girl some pain.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Black Tom**  
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Black Tom waited for the rest of their little group to show up. So far, only one of Claudette's group had shown up, and the others were all they were waiting for. As they waited, he hear Cain say, "Are you sure we can trust them, Tom? I mean that one was one of your cousin students."

Tom looked over at Cain and said, "Obviously, you don't keep up with current events. That lad over there, and the gal Claudette brought in were part of a group that terrorized Richard Cale's company. Plus, I can judge when someone is being honest about this stuff." He stopped talking when he noticed that Claudette was entering the room with her other team member. He stood up and said, "Hello Claudette. I hope you are ready for the planning session."

He watched as Claudette sat down and said, "I'm ready. I even did some thinking of places to pull off the capture." He had to admire the gal's knack for planning.

He just leaned forward over a map of Snow Valley and said, "Alright, lass, where do ye recommend the kidnapping take place." He had a few ideas, but he was hoping this gal could come up with something that could help his idea.

He watched as Claudette pointed to a spot on the map. "There. It's a comic shop in town that Rich and Yvette have gone in a few time. He gets his comics there. I figure Yvette will probably head there."

Tom glanced at the map and smiled. "It connects to a back alley. Alright, here is the plan. Claudette, I want ye to tell Q. T. and Golden, to go in and tip off Yvette. I doubt she'll try anything like using her powers in public. Once she comes out the back door, Cain, I want you attack her, and at the last moment we'll set lose the secret weapon." He saw Claudette smile. "You like this plan?"

He watched an evil smile cross her face. "Let's just say that the secret weapon will totally confuse her. Also may I suggest an inhibitor collar. We don't want her breaking free or letting anyone know about her dilemma." He nodded in agreement. For her to tip someone off before they had her in the complex was not a good idea. They all went to continue the plan from there.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Everett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Everett sat in the lounge next to Jubilee. Everyone was in the lounge, either working on the assignment that Rich gave, or taking part in a game of Super Smash Bros. The only two not in the room were Rich and Yvette, but he expected as much. As he looked over the problem again, he heard Angelo say, "Up and away you go, Mondo." He glanced over at the screen to see that Angelo had sent Mondo's character flying.

He looked back down at the problem and said, "Anyone have any ideas?" He had to admit it was a tough problem. He had been looking over the numbers for a while, and still couldn't piece it together. Plus it didn't help that all the problems looked different.

He heard Clarice say, "Rich said that A,B,C,D,E all represent the same numbers for all of us. We just had to figure out what those numbers are."

He then noticed Darrett was looking over his problem and said, "There is something about this pattern. I think I saw it somewhere once before." Everett then realized something. Pattern was the key word.

He looked at everyone and said, "Let's all look at our problems together." He watched as everyone laid down their papers. Everyone except for Mondo, Daria, and Angelo, who were too busy beating up their characters. He then said, "Look at that, in the problem, he changed the multiplier each time. We have 2, 4, 5, and 6." After doing a quick count, he turned over to the three game players and said, "Hey you three, let's see your papers."

Daria just looked over at him and said, "Why, I don't see why you are working so hard to figure it out. It doesn't look so difficult."

He placed the papers down with the others and said, "Look like Angelo had the other 5, and I'd bet that Yvette has the other 6, but look at what Mondo and Daria had."

Jubilee just said, "They both had times 3, and look what the product looks like on theirs, ABCDE1."

Paige nodded and said, "And Daria has E7? on her paper. Daria, are ya shore of that?" He noticed it to, and wondered if it was a key to solving the puzzle.

Daria just said, "Not really, but it makes the most sense so far. I'm not sure if it's right since I'm not sure if we have to deal with mutliple digits or not."

Everett just look at his paper and then at her's. "Daria, I think you might be right. These are six digit numbers. So, each letter represents a digit, and Daria believes that E7 so lets work from there."

As they worked on it for a bit, and soon they had determined the digits for D and C. They were all started when they heard Sean say, "Well, this is a change. Almost all of ye are hard at work on homework. I take it you like Rich's class."

He saw his girlfriend look up and said, "Yea, except he almost gave us a killer assignment."

He turned and faced her. "What do you mean us, Jubilee. As I recalled, you brought down his wraith with that one comment. You're lucky that Mondo answered it correctly." She nodded. He knew Jubilee didn't intend to get hit by that assignement.

He then saw a few more people enter. One was Monet's father, and another had to be Rich's other family friend. The last four were a bunch of girls, around Jubilee's age. He heard Jono say, _"So, Sean, who is everyone?"_

He heard Sean said, "Well, All I can say lad, is that they are all here to see Rich. However they claim one of the gals claims to be a mutant. The gals came from Easton. Apparently, Godiva sent them up here."

Everett then head Mondo say, "Sean, do they know about Rich's current state?" He watched as a concerned look crossed everyones face. That told Everett that they didn't know.

He heard the one man, a blonde gentleman, say, "Excuse me. Is something wrong with Rich?" He then noticed that Jubilee looked like she was star struck.

Before anyone could say anything, he heard a voice at the doorway say, "Nothing that can't be corrected. In fact, it will be correct tomorrow." He saw a shocked look cross all six of the faces, and could tell that Rich had entered the room.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Angelo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Angelo watched as Yvette lead Richard into the room, with Emma right behind them. After a brief moment, Angelo finally broke the tention and said, "Don't worry, Dr McCoy said Rich's eyes will be better tomorrow. The bandages come off tomorrow."

He watched as the one girl just said, "You mean he is suppose to be the one who can help us." He wondered if she was the head of the little group of gals. She was blonde, with a figure that any girl would die for, but all the girls had figures like that. The only one that didn't look like that was the redhead in the back.

He noticed that Rich turned to face the direction of the sound. Angelo saw the unease in the girl's stance as Rich looked like he was facing her. He heard Rich said, "And who exactly is speaking?" Angelo could tell something was bothering the blond the second Rich faced her direction.

He then heard the red head say, "Her name is Britney. My name is Christina. My other friends are Mandy," Angelo noticed the African girl nodded. "And Jessica," and then the brunette gal nodded. "We were sent up here because Godiva said you could help us."

He noticed that Emma then said, "Well, Christina, I think everyone thanks you for such a nice introduction. Godiva had notified us, but Sean was probably already at the airport at the time we got the message." He watched as Rich nodded and then she said, "Now, Rich had gone to make special provisions for your arrival."

He then saw Yvette nodded and said, "Yes, my husband had asked a chef from one of his companies to prepare dinner for you tonight. In fact, dinner should soon be ready."

Angelo smiled and said, "Thank you. I thought we'd have to deal with Emma's cooking." He was not the only one to think that Emma needed a lot of cooking lessons.

He noticed that Sean looked at him and said, "Don't worry lad. Ye have dish duty tonight." He smacked himself upside the head when he realized that he put his foot in his mouth. No one had been give that task tonight, and a big meal usually meant alot of dishes.

Angelo moved when Cartier just said, "That sounds terrific. I must thank all of you. It will be a nice change from Airline food." Angelo could probably sympathize with that. You never eat good when you are travelling.

As they all headed for the dining area, he felt someone grab his arm. He turned to see the redheaded girl named Christina say to him, "Excuse me, but how many of the girls here are mutants?" He found it a very odd question to ask.

He just smiled and said, "Every girl is a mutant here. We aren't bad people." He was about ready to defend himself and the others, but the girl shook her head. He looked at her and said, "Are you saying that you're a mutant as well?"

Before she could answer his question, Angelo heard Jubilee shout, "Come on, Ang. The food is waiting." He headed out to the dining area. He was a bit leary about this girl. Last time a mutant girl came to the school, he ended up in something like a coma.

When they all reachd the table, he was surprised at the meal that was awaiting them. It was a regular feast. He even heard Darrett say, "Man, this is a regular feast." Darrett was right. The chef that Rich had come up to the school must has perpared a real banquet.

He then heard Yvette say, "To everyone here, especially our guests, sit and eat." Angelo guessed that to Rich, this visit from Monet's father was a big deal. To everyone else, it was just another day. Not really a need for a feast, but it had an upside.

Almost as soon as everyone was eating, Angelo heard one thing that froze everything. It was Cartier saying, "Richard, where is Monet? Is she not joining us?"

Angelo noticed an errie silence was filling the room as each member of Generation looked at each other. They were all thinking the same thing. They were all thinking of how to tell Cartier that Claudette had broken free. Soon enough, in a very calm voice, Rich just said, "I'm afraid to say that Monet is being detained, Cartier. It appeared that Claudette wanted to be in charge, and she still is."

Angelo saw the look on Cartier's face as he said, "How did it happen?" He was crestfallen. Monet was the apple of his eye. With that, Rich began the tale of when Claudette showed she was in charge.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Paige**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Paige sat at the table and listend as Rich recited every detail of what lead to a devistating moment for Generation X. She was glad that she and Jono were away at that time with the X-Men. She could even see how much it hurt Cartier as Rich continued with each detail. When he was almost through the story, she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned to faced them, and was face to face with the girl named Britney. The girl just softly asked, "Did I hear right that this Monet and Claudette inhabit the same body?"

Paige nodded and softly said, "Yes, you see, Monet sort of kept Claudette in check. They have a symbiotic relationship as mutants. The problem is that Monet and Claudette are opposites." She saw Britney nod, as she apparently understood.

It was at that time Paige noticed the silence in the room. Rich had ended the tale, and everyone was looking at her, or if they were not looking at her, focused on her. She then heard Richard said, "Thank you, Paige, I forgot that they didn't know that."

She then heard the man named Gabe say, "Is that what lead to your eyes being bandaged?" Paige notice that everyone shook their head simultainously. It was a reasonable question.

Paige was almost startled when Britney just said, "You mean to say that you can't see, and Godiva said you could protect us." She could hear the anger in the girl's voice.

She was thankful when Yvette said, "Godiva was never made aware of Rich's current condition. It will be taken care of tomorrow. Besides, Richard knows that his teammates will help him, and Godiva knows that as well." Paige watched as the girl's anger subsided, and that the girl sitting next to Angelo appeared to relax. Paige wondered if Britney was going to blame that girl for all this.

It was then that Emma said, "Can one of you girls explain the problem?" Paige was wondering what had brought the four girls to ask for Godiva's help.

She heard the one next to Angelo say, "Some monster is after us. I think it's after me, but it's threatening all of us." She focused on what the girl was saying. "You see, I'm a mutant, but my friends aren't. I have an odd power, one which they like." Paige watched as each girl nodded.

She then heard Sean say, "But lass, if ye are a mutant, what is yur ability?" She heard everyone was wondering the same thing.

The girl just lowered her head and said very softly, "I make non-mutant women look sexy. But, that's not all." Paige looked around after she said that and realized that the other girls she was with had changes. They had lost some physical traits. The girl had been telling the truth.

She then heard Clarice say, "What else can you do?"

Paige could tell by the look on the girls face that she didn't want to say. The girl finally swallowed and said, "Well, as I can give looks to non-mutant girls, I can take them away from mutant girls, and I get their physical traits. It's not pleasent. Once they leave, everything returns to normal."

Paige noticed that everyone had a mixed look on their faces, but Rich, Yvette and Emma had a look of fear on their faces. She didn't know why, but she could tell. Before she could ask, she heard Rich say, "For right now, maybe all of you gals should be escorted to the girls dorm, and have a room next to one of the other gals. Paige, you and Jono take Britney. Jubilee and Everett can take Jess to her room. Mondo and Daria, please take Mandy to a room. Christina, Darrett and Clarice will escort you to a room, and I will have Yvette stop by to talk with you, alright." She watched as the girl nodded and everyone began to file out. As they all exited, Paige turned to see that Rich, Emma, Sean and Yvette were starting to talk with Cartier and Gabe. She couldn't help but wonder what the topic was.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Jono**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jono walked along side of Paige as they escorted Britney to the room she would be staying in. He though that the only nice thing about the situation was that he was with Paige. Something in him just said that something wasn't right. He felt that this girl might be hiding something. He looked at Paige and said, _"Sunshine. I think there is something the girls are not telling us. I just have this hunch about it."_

He watched as Paige looked at him and softly said, "I don't think they might be the only ones not saying much. Rich didn't want us around for something. I think he has some insight on this. At least Emma insisted on having a few extra rooms ready in case of this."

Just then he noticed that Britney was looking at both of them and said, "Do you mind if I ask what you are talking about?" He felt like he was a kid again, with his hand stuck in the proverbial cookie jar.

He then said, _"We were just wondering about you and your friends?"_ It was a lie, but he hoped that it was convincing. _"How did you all meet?"_

He saw the girl smile and he relaxed. She then said, "Well, we met before High School. We basically met in 7th grade and became a clique. I was the leader of our clique. We keep up to date on the popular music of the day. What we say is in, is in. Right now, it's that new teen queen, Sugar Kane. By the way, what do you think of her?"

He looked at Paige and then said, _"Frankly, I've heard cats that sang better. Besides, I'd prefer my little star here."_ He saw that Paige was blushing a bit. He then said, _"What about this monster, do you know much about it?"_

He noticed she looked like she was thinking about it, and then she said, "Not much, I remember it was ugly, but it couldn't have been man nor mutant." He wanted to tell her that that wasn't always the case, but she probably already had guessed on that. She then said, "To tell the truth, I hope that it doesn't get Christina." Right then, he felt that same nagging feeling.

Jono felt a bit better when Paige said, "Britney, this will be your room. If you need anything, I be right next door, ok." He watched as the girl nodded and entered the room. When the door closed, he heard Paige say, "Jono, join me in my room." He nodded and followed her into the room. When she closed the door, she said, "Love, I think we haven't been told everything. I saw the look on Rich's face. He was scared. I think he had a nightmare and these girls are involved."

Jono nodded and said, _"I agree, but I think I have a good idea of what they haven't told us. All they said was there was a monster. Christina said she thought it was after her since she was a mutant. That reeks totally of Emplate. That bloody bastard is after them."_

He watched as Paige nodded and said, "Well, maybe for the time being, they are safe. Emplate won't try anything with all of us here, and with Rich holding that sword of his, well." He knew what she was going to say. Emplate would have to be nuts to challenge Rich with the sword. "Plus, with his father here, I doubt he'd try anything at all."

He nodded and took her in his arms. _"Y'ur right, sunshine. He probably won't try anything, but still, we should tell the others what we suspect."_ He then thought for a minute and said, _"Paige, do you think Rich paired all of us off with one gal to guard them, or to find out info on the girls?"_

He looked at her as she reached up, and pulled herself up to his face and said, "Ah think, since he's so busy, he indirectly asked us to find out some info on the girls to aleve his fears." With her last word, she just kissed him. He did hope she was right. He didn't want to think that Rich had manipulated them, but it did make sense if he did.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Mondo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mondo walked alongside Daria as they escorted Mandy to her room. As they headed for the girls room, he heard her ask, "What happened to Richard's eyes, if you don't mind me asking?"

Mondo almost shuddered at the question. He could only imagine what it might have felt like, but Yvette had a better idea of what that pain was like. He just said, "It's a very long story. If we have time, we'll tell you later." She nodded and then he said, "Mandy, what can you tell us about yourself?"

He heard Daria then say, "Yea. How did you meet up with Britney, Christina and Jessica? You don't look like you would hang out together."

He watched as the girl nodded and said, "True. We sort of found out that we were four girls that agreed on music. Soon we became a clique, but things got tense when Christina's power started to develop."

He saw how Daria looked at her. There was a concerned look on her face. He then looked at Mandy and said, "Why do you say that?"

Mandy just lowered her head and said, "Well, Britney loves to be the center of attention. When she found out about Chris's ability, she wanted to exploit it. But Chris was still better looking that Britney. She started to resent her. In fact, Britney was the main factor in a riot, but nobody knew it."

Mondo was almost appauled but what she said. He then heard Daria say, "What happened?"

He heard Mandy gulp as she started to speak. "Britney suggested we pose as cheerleaders, but in smaller outfits that the school cheerleaders wear. Almost every guy was looking at us. Afterwords, the whole team confronted us. Britney said that our costume designer, Chris, came up with the costumes, but negleted to say that it was her design. When all the girls ganged up on Chris. We learned that most of the cheerleader were mutants."

He then heard Daria gasp, and realized that Chris's power must have kicked into overdrive. He just looked at Mandy and said, "You mean that Chris stole all their looks."

He was almost started when Mandy said, "Yes, and she took on every one of their traits. Her body was almost out of control. In time, her body blocked the one hall. Guys and male teachers lost their cool. She was the fantasy woman. However, the faculty found a way to let her return to normal."

He was totally disgusted by that. He wondered if they should tell Rich about that. They were however at Mandy's room. He heard Daria say, "My room is right next door." When the girl entered the room, she faced him and said, "Love, you better tell Sean, Emma and Rich about this. I think they might find it very informative." He nodded and was off. He didn't want to leave her, but this was important.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Jubilee**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

As they walked down the hall, Jubilee wondered how much they could find out about the four girls. She looked over when Jessica said, "This place is nicer than Easton High. It's very homelike." Those words really struck home. She never realized that the girls were from Easton. They might have said, but she never heard them mention it.

Jubilee looked over at Everett as he said, "Is that how you know about Rich and Godiva? Because you live in Easton?" She wondered if that was a dumb question. Almost everyone in Rich's hometown knew who he was.

She was surprised when Jessica shook her head and said, "Not really. All I know about them was the murders earlier this year. The town was in morning for a week. The Key Club at the school still morns the loss. Rich was a member and always helped. I heard he had the gift of a silver tougue. A regular salesman when it came to getting people to try for a door prize."

Jubilee had know that Rich was a helpful person, but never knew that. She just looked at Jessica and said, "You mean that Rich could talk people into buying stuff. I never knew he could do that."

Jessica just shruged. "Maybe it wasn't totally him. I do know that one of the regular helpers he had back then was another mutant. She even continued to help and did as well as he did. I'm not totally sure. However, I never thought about asking Godiva for help until my cousin mentioned it."

She saw a puzzled look cross her boyfriend's face as he said, "Your cousin suggested Godiva?"

"Yea, she helps out at the museum since she moved to town. She told her mother she wanted to live in Easton and since we were the only family out here, her mother allowed it. Cynthia even wanted to join the group. Britney turned her away since she didn't have a musical sounding name." Jubilee was startled by two things. The first was how Britney sounded, but the second was the cousin's name.

She knew her boyfriend could tell something was bothering her. She felt him take her hand as he said, "Lee, what's wrong?"

She knew he was concerned for her, but she had to know the answer. She looked at Jessica and said, "Can you tell me where your cousin is from? The name sounds familiar to me." She deep down hoped that she hear an answer that she wanted to hear.

Jessica just said, "Well, she's from South California. She use to hang out with her friend Jay alot. She never really told me much about Jay, except that they were very good friends. They use to hang out at the mall alot, until Jay disappeared. She would get letters from Jay, but then she decided to move to Easton. She said Easton sounded nicer and more down to Earth." Jubilee knew who Jessica was talking about now.

She heard Ev say, "Jubes, why are you crying?" She realized she never told Everett about her friend Cyn-Jen.

Jubilee tried to choke back the tears as she said, "Is your cousin's name Cynthia-Jennifer?" When Jessica nodded in shock, Jubilee said, "I was her friend Jay. If you could, can you give me her number to get in touch with her?"

She felt happy when Jessica said, "Yea. Cynthia sometimes wonders where you are and what you're up to. I'll write it down when we reach the room I'll be in." Jubilee smiled at that. It had been too long since she and Cyn-Jen had talked. She could even see that Everett was happy for her.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IX. Darrett**  
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Darrett walked down the halls alongside Clarice as they escorted Christina to her room. He noticed that Christina tried to keep a good distance between herself and Clarice. As they continued through the halls, he said, "Christina, how did you first learn about your ability?"

He watched as she just looked down and said, "I found out about a few years ago. Britney had a sudden growth spurt, and she realized what had happened. That's when she convinced all our group members that we should stick together and make ourselves a force in the politics in school."

He heard Clarice gasp and said, "I don't believe it." He couldn't believe it either, but something made him think it was true.

He looked at Christina and said, "You mean that Britney wanted to use your ability to influence people because of your better looks. I hate to say this, Christina, but I do believe she'd pull something like that. I once saw a girl try that here." He thought to how Quinn tried seducing Angelo. If fact, he was sure Angelo even remembered that. He wondered if Britney was they kind of person that would betray all of them.

He then heard Clarice say, "I'm not talking about that." For the first time since they started escorting Christina, Darrett took a good look at the girl he liked. If there was one thing he was sure of, that was that he liked her as more than a friend. When he looked at her, he was surprised. Her dress looked like it was about to fall off her. He knew she was still trying to find the right kind of outfits for this world, but she seemed to prefer dresses. Of course given the outfit she had wore when she first appeared, it was understood that she liked dresses.

As he ran over to Clarice and grabbed her collar to pull it up, he saw an anguished look cross Christina's face as she said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to steal your looks." Darrett had an idea of why the anguished look was crossing her face. Her powers were adding Clarice's looks to hers. They were close to the rooms, but he couldn't leave Clarice's side, nor did he want to.

Darrett finally had an idea. He started to focus on his powers, and soon, a woman with green hair, a black dress, and sunglass that looked like a musical note, appeared. He just looked at her and said, "Melodia, take Christina to her room, and stay with her until I get you, ok." He watched as the figure nodded and walked with the girl to the room next to Clarice's. This might not be an easy time for Clarice. When the door closed, he said, "Are you ok, Clarice?"

She nodded and said, "Yes, thanks for helping me keep my dignity." He noticed how she smiled at him. He was sure she liked him as well. She then said, "Could you help me to my room? I think i might have to change where my bed is, and I'd hate to be tripping over my dress." He nodded and they entered the room. He saw that Clarice had her bed on the wall that was shared with Christina's room.

He then said, "I think we might want to wait until you get your looks back before we move that bed." She nodded and for the first time, he looked in her eyes. He could just tell she was in love with him. Some thing told him that she wanted him to kiss her. When he did, he felt her return the kiss. Maybe the arrival of these girls wasn't a bad thing


	78. Reaching Out For Answers

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Win Some, Lose Some

Reaching Out For Answers

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Rich**  
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Rich stayed seated at the table waiting patiently. He didn't want to say anything while the rest of Generation X was nearby. He didn't want to spook them if it wasn't needed. He still didn't say anything until Emma said, "They can't hear you if you speak now, Richard."

He nodded and said, "Thank you, Emma. I think we should hope that I'm worried for nothing, but I have an idea of what the girl's problem is." He couldn't judge by facial expressions, since he couldn't see, but he could hear auditory recognitions of the matter, especially from Emma, and Yvette.

He heard Cartier say, "Please tell me it isn't what I think your going to say, not with you being blind right now."

Rich wanted to respond to that, but Sean said, "Hank McCoy is coming up tomorrow to remove the blindfold, so he won't be blind for much longer. Now Rich, tell us what you think it is, or don't I want to know?"

Rich quietly gulped and said, "Emplate. I'm certain that their problem is Emplate, but I don't know why. I just know that Emplate is the problem." If it hadn't been for the nightmare, he wouldn't have been convince it was Emplate.

He then heard Gabe say, "Pardon, my ignorence on the matter, but what is an Emplate?" Rich knew that Gabe was aware of Marius, but not of the name Marius now called himself.

Before he could answer, Cartier said, "Emplate is Marius." He heard Gabe gasp, and Cartier continued by saying, "He's been a problem for these kids ever since the school openned."

Rich then said, "Plus the fact that my wife, Yvette, had been a prisoner of his for a while, and that I was the one that helped her break free has put me on his hit list." Although he lived in fear of Emplate, Rich knew he had a few things in his favor. One was his love for Yvette, which gave him alot of strength. Second was having friends like Generation X. The final item was his sword. It acted as a perfect counter to Emplate.

He then heard Yvette say, "He had a feeling something was up. He had a nightmare last night." He heard Sean gasp at that moment. Sean was the only one who didn't know about the nightmare. Well, he and the students didn't know.

He then heard Sean say, "When were you going to bring this up, lad? When it actually happened?"

Rich honestly felt like snapping back at Sean but decided not to. He understood what Sean meant by that. He just shook his head and said, "I honestly didn't know what it meant, Sean. It wasn't until the girls arrived that I realized the danger they were in. Right now, everyone is going to need to help in protecting them until I can see."

Before he could say another word, he heard a familiar voice say, "You mean Emplate is after the girls." He recognized who it was. Mondo had returned and heard the mention of Emplate. He was more surprised when he heard Mondo continue. "It looks like you were right, Jono."

Rich had an idea of why they were there. "I take it you both found something out that is informative." He hadn't asked them to do anything information searching, but something in him that they might do something.

Jono answered the question. _"We only guessed that Emplate was involved. We also figure that we might want to keep a watchful eye on Britney."_ Rich was surprised at this concern.

He heard Emma say, "Why watch her? Do you suspect something?"

He thought about it for a moment and said, "She's the leader of their clique, but she feels threatened by Christina. That explains some of the imagry in my dream. We'll just all have to keep an eye on her, however, we can't make her feel like she's under suspision. We'll have to think something up."

He then heard Emma say, "I can put a lock on all outgoing phone calls, and a screening on the incoming calls."

Rich just nodded and said, "That sound's good. Mondo, Jono, why don't you head back to your rooms or to who you were with. I don't know if you want to continue on the assignment I gave you or not." When he heard them both walk out of the room, he stood up and said, "Cartier, Gabe, maybe we should continue our talk in privacy, at our apartment." He felt Yvette take his arm and they started out of the room.

As they walked down the halls that lead to the apartment, he heard Gabe say, "Rich, what did happen to your eyes?"

Rich didn't know if his family friends could grasp the idea of Mojo, but he needed to give some sort of explination. He just said, "To be honest, someone thought of trying to take my life and broadcast it. He had gone as far as to implant cameras in my eyes. However, thanks to Yvette, I have a healing factor that is removing them, and I have to keep my eyes closed to prevent the cameras from rebuilding themselves. I have to say, the nutcase was clever."

Soon, he heard the door to the apartment open, and heard Yvette say, "We're back Grimore." He had wondered where she disappeared to after class, and before she met up with him at his office. When he finally sat down, he heard her say, "I think I'll check on Christina. She might need someone to talk to." He felt her kiss his cheek and he smiled.

When the door openned and closed again, he knew she had left, and he felt something jump onto his lap. He then heard Grimore say, "Hello, Paladin. I see the others are here."

He was surprised when Cartier said, "Yes we are Grimore, and we have some things to talk about." Rich had a feeling that alot of explaining needed to be done. Especially by Grimore.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Freeze Frame**  
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Freeze Frame looked out the window in the room he had been placed. It was times like these he wondered if he had made a mistake not following the straight and narrow. If anyone would have told him about what path his life would take, he would have called them nuts. Now, he wished someone would have told him this so he could have avoided it. Before, he was a free, but a servent. Now he was a slave, with the possible threat of beine Emplate's next meal. He just sighed and said, "How did I ever get myself into this?"

He was almost startled when a voice behind him said, "You cause this fate, yourself." He spun around quick to see Emplate standing there. He heard his new master say, "You fouled up on orders from my sister. You knew the concequences. Now, listen up. I need you to be at the ready. When we go to capture the four girls, I need you to cause some delays."

He was scared, but nodded. Then he said, "Emplate, what if I can't do it? What if I cause the plan to fail. What if the girls escape?" He just watched Emplate open his hands. He saw that hands on Emplate, and knew what they meant. Emplate hand done the same to him. Made him need to feed off mutants.

He then heard Emplate say, "Very simple. Failure means that you will be my next meal. You will spend the last moments of your life in severe pain as I literally eat you alive." That thought totally scared him. He didn't know what to think on that one. Then Emplate said, "If we succeed however, I shall give the traitor to you, to do with as you please."

Freeze Frame felt a smile cross his face. "You mean I can do anything I want to the girl they call Britney?" He watched as Emplate nodded. He actually liked that idea. Besides, he could tell by how she acted that she was very stuck up and needed to be humbled. "I'll make her last a good long time, sir." He watched as Emplate nodded and then left the room. He then looked back out at the stars. Maybe he could vent his frustrations on this new prisoner.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Freeze Frame**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jubilee could barely contain her excitement. Ever since she left So-Cal with the X-Men, she hadn't spoken with Cyn-Jen, but now she knew how to contact her old friend. She turned to face Everett and said, "This is the coolest. I can't remember how long it's been since I last spoke to Cyn-Jen."

She felt Everett take her hand and say, "I'm happy for you, Jubilee. Do you think she'll remember you, though?"

She had never considered the possiblity. With Everett mentioning that, she started to fear her friend would not remember her. She felt herself shudder as she said, "I never thought of that Ev. What if she doesn't recognize me on the phone?"

Everett then reminded her about what Jessica said. "Jubes, Jessica did say that she talks about you. I don't think she had forgotten about you."

She smiled again. "Thanks Ev." With that, she kissed him. She felt him return the kiss. She didn't want to get into a long kissing session, at least not now. She stopped the kiss and said, "We can have more kissing later. Right now, I need to make a phone call." She picked up the phone, only to be startled to hear no dial tone.

She hung it up, and picked it up again. Again, there was no dial tone. She repeated the same motion almost ten times when Ev finally said, "What's wrong, Jubes?"

She hung up the phone and said, "The line is dead. I can't make a call out. I think we better tell Sean and Emma about this." She started to feel like something was up. Was this a sign that Emplate was about to attack? Why were the phone lines down? The last thing that was on her mind now was how her friend was doing.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Yvette**  
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Yvette made her way up to the floor of the girls dorm that Chris was placed. The only girls that had lived on that hall was Monet and now Clarice. She headed to the room that she figured Chris was in. She noticed that the door was openned a crack, and she heard two voices inside. Both were female, and one was Chris's. She didn't recognize the second voice, and it scared her. She looked in through the crack of the door and saw that Chris was sitting calmly on the bed, chatting. Yvette gave a silent sigh and openned the door. "Excuse me, can I join in the conversation?"

She watched as Chris turned, almost startled, and calmed down when she saw who it was. "Yes, Mrs. Cale, you can come in." For the first time, she had been address formally. It felt odd. It was flattering, but odd. As she entered, she saw the mysterious woman who Chris had been talking to. It looked like another of Darrett's summons, but she recognized it from one Rich's videos. Chris then said, "I was talking with ..." Yvette noticed that Chris was trying to remember the name of the character.

The character just responded. "Melodia. She was trying to figure out why she given her mutant power." Yvette knew that when she found Darrett, she would have to tell him to see Emma.

Yvette just walked over to a chair near the bed and said, "You know, sometimes us girls get some strange mutant powers. Not always the best abilities to have." Which was true about some of the people she had met. "Have you heard of the X-Men?" When Chris nodded, she then said "Well, one of the girls in the X-Men can not touch another being, and she is drop dead gorgeous."

She watched as Chris looked at her and asked, "How does she cope with her powers? I mean, whats her power that cursed her like that?"

Yvette sat there and tried to think of how to best describe Rogue. After a few moments, Yvette said, "Well, Rogue, as she is called, has the ability to steal memories and powers, with just a touch. I think the X-Men are working on a way to temporarily nullify her powers so she can live a somewhat normal life, but I don't know how much progress they made on that."

She noticed Chris just looked at her and said, "Mrs. Cale, can they do that for me as well? I would like to be able to shut off this ability from time to time. You don't know what it's like having an ability where people are afraid to get close to you because your ability would do something to them."

Yvette shook her head and said, "Chris, please call me Yvette, and I do know what you are going through." She tensed up her right hand and held it up. "Chris, for years, I used to be tensed up like this. It wasn't until Richard came here that I learned to relax and control my ability. If it wasn't for him, I think I still be scared of my own shadow, and not married to a loving man." She then noticed that Chris had a sad look in her eyes. Yvette untensed her hand and reached over and hugged the girl. "Don't worry. In time, you'll find someone just like Rich, and people will respect your ability." As Yvette was

hugging the girl, she felt the girls body changing. She realize what was happening. Yvette had to muster all her strength to keep from making the girl feel ashamed of her power.

Eventually, Yvette felt Chris push her away. The girl then said, "Mrs. Cale, I mean, Yvette, maybe you should go. I didn't mean for my ability to affect you like that. I'm sorry."

Yvette just nodded and said, "It's ok. I'll tell Darrett to let Melodia here with you, if it makes you feel more comfortable." She noticed that Chris didn't disapprove of that, and she got up and left the room. When she closed the door, she looked at herself, and how Chris had affected her figure. She thanked herself for chosing to wear what she had worn. Nothing would appear to be falling off, although she could have been a look-alike for Jubilee right now. She walked over to Clarice's room and said, "Clarice, have you seen..." When she looked in, she saw that Clarice wouldn't be answering.

She saw the two liplocked in a kiss. She stood there in the door until Clarice stopped the kiss in shock and said, "Ummm, sorry Yvette. We didn't mean to be kissing so long. Darrett was holding my dress because of Chris's ability affecting me and.." She understood, but she could tell one thing. They weren't going any farther than kissing.

Darrett then said, "She's right. It was all innocent." She had never really seen Darrett nervous about anything, but here he was nervous. She wanted to giggle at the sight, but decided not to.

She then said, "I believe the both of you, but Darrett. You are going to have to talk to Emma. Right now."

She watched as he nodded and said, "It's about Melodia, isn't it." She nodded and he said, "I figured that would be the case. Should I send her back?"

Yvette shook her head and said, "No Darrett. Chris is ok with her around. However, Emma should be informed of what you conjured up. Remember, you conjure up something new, you should be supervised." He nodded and left the room with her.

As then left she heard Clarice say, "You aren't going to mention the kiss to Emma, are you?" Yvette could tell that Clarice was worried. She just looked back and shook her head.

Before they got out of the dorm, she heard Darrett say, "Thank you, Yvette. I just wish I didn't have to tell Emma about the summons." Yvette could only guess that the boy was going to get another lecture on his powers.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Emma**  
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Emma sat at the computer terminal in her office. The phones had only been shut down for 15 minutes, but about a dozen calls had been attempted. The only thing that made her realize it wasn't Britney was that all the pickups were in Jubilee's room. As she watched the details of who tried to call, or who picked up a phone, she heard Sean say, "Emma, how long have ye had that?"

She turned to face Sean and said, "I've always had it set up, but never to this extent. It was usually used to monitor for anyone trying to hack in. I never really planned on using it to stop all the phonelines. In fact, there is only one line that this doesn't monitor and that's the line in Rich and Yvette's apartment."

Sean just sat and said, "So if Emplate does manage to contact one of those girls, it's through other means, like the recorded message he sent back when Hunter attacked, or even psionically."

She shook her head when he mentioned the later. "I doubt he's doing it that way. He has no control over them. If anything, he has given a communicator to one of them. The only problem is we don't know what to look for." She almost started to continue when she sensed someone was coming. After a quick psi-check, she knew who it was and said, "Yes, Jubilee, what do you want?"

She watched as Jubilee entered her office. She could see just in her face that something was bothering the usually cheerful student. She did have a feeling what Jubilee was going to ask, before the words left Jubilee's mouth. "Emma, I'm having problems making a call. I can't dial out at all. I don't even get a dial-tone."

Emma glanced over at Sean and saw that he nodded. He knew what she was about to ask him psyonically. "Jubilee, there is a reason for that. Rich believes that Emplate is after our four guests, and we have reason to believe one of them is helping Emplate."

She saw how nervous Jubilee appeared to be when the words sunk in. "Tell me your joking. You can't be serious. If he knew the state Rich is in, he'd grab him and Penny, as well as these girls." Emma then noticed a look that reflected fear in Jubilee's face. The girl then asked, "Which one of the girls do you suspect?"

She head Sean answer the question. "Jubilee, it looks like all the facts point towards Britney. She seems to be the one to suspect. Now, who were you trying to call?"

She watched as a calm look crossed Jubilee's face. Whoever it was, the person meant a deal to Jubilee. "It's my friend, Cyn-Jen. I found out she lives in Easton now, and works in Godiva's museum."

Emma then nodded, "So that's how the girls found out about Richard. Is this the same friend you told us about that one Christmas, Jubilee?" When Jubilee nodded, she just said, "Well, you may want to ask Rich if you can use his phone. Those are the only phones I can't block."

Jubilee nodded, and said, "Do you think he'd mind? He does have company."

Emma then heard Yvette say, "Mind what?" She looked up to see Yvette standing at the door to the office with Darrett. "What do you think Rich would mind?"

Emma looked at the girl and said, "Jubilee would like to get in touch with an old friend of her's that works at Godiva's museum. We have all the phone lines blocked, so she was wondering if she could use your phone." It still surprised Emma how much Yvette had changed over her time at the school, especially with the arrivial of Richard Cale.

She watched as Yvette thought about it for a moment. Finally, Yvette said, "I think it would be alright. I'll take you there, ok." Emma watched as Jubilee nodded, and then Yvette said, "Emma, I think Darrett might need a refresher on contacting you or Sean before a new summons."

As Jubilee and Yvette left the room, Emma looked over at Darrett and said, "You tried a new summons today? Why did you do that?" It was a bit unnerving. Darrett knew very well why he shouldn't try that, yet he did.

She watched as the boy looked at her and said, "Well, Christina's ability started to affect Clarice and I tried to help Clarice keep her dignity." Emma remembered what Clarice had been wearing, and realized that it might not have stayed on the girl if her figure disappeared.

She then head Sean say, "I take it you were making sure Clarice didn't get embarassed." When he nodded, she heard Sean say, "Ok, please continue." She then noticed the look on Sean's face. It was as if Sean was a protective parent. She remembered what had happened to their Clarice, and now they had a chance with a second one.

Darrett then said, "Well, at that time, I conjured up a female villain named Melodia to stay with Chris. She's been with her since. Nothing happened that caused Melodia to rebel." Emma was thankful for that small favor, but it didn't over look the point that he should have told them what he was trying.

Emma then said, "Darrett, please sit down. I hate to do this, but I need to remind you about why you should tell us when you are pulling a new summons. We don't want anything to happen that anyone will get injured." As she continued, she watched as the boy nodded with everything she said. To be honest to herself, Emma knew neither of them liked hearing this lecture.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Cartier**  
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Cartier sat on a chair as Rich remained almost motionless, but focus on everything he told him about his dilemma. He just said, "Rich, as you are well aware, each of our families have sworn to protect the people from the forces of evil. You as the Paladin, Gabe as the Shadow Hunter, and myself. My family is the only one whose title is unknown, even to us, however, we do rely on magic."

He saw Rich nod and said, "I understand that much. Given what I have learned since I aquired the title, it is something we cannot take litely, but society has changed since then."

He nodded in agreement, and then said, "True, but some traditions are hard to work with. With your family, it always goes to the eldest child, no matter what, similar to how the title transfers in England. With Gabe's family, the title is to male child, but the child does have the choice if he wants to hold the title or not."

He heard Gabe say, "My grandfather was proof of that."

Cartier nodded and said, "However, if my family, it always goes to the eldest male child." He could see a look of uneasiness cross Rich's face. "However, the is a way around it, in any case. If the eldest child is considered unfit to hold the title, the elder generation can assign a new person to hold the title, which I would choose to be Monet."

That was when the dilemma really hit home as Rich said, "But since Claudette took over, Monet is unfit to hold the title. Leaving you in a difficult position."

Rich now understood the problem. "Yes, and you know how dangerous Marius is. If he had full control of the magic that is at our family's control, he would be more dangerous than ever."

He then heard Gabe say, "Pardon my ignorence on the matter, but how dangerous is Marius?"

He heard Rich respond to the question by saying, "Gabe, Marius wants power, but his mutant ability makes him hungry for the genetic makeup of mutants. Literally, he'd have a good meal at this school." He saw Gabe shudder at that.

Cartier then said, "Exactly, especially after he killed his mother. Something Rich knows he did all to well." He then saw Rich shudder. "Anyhow, while the girls were still too young to do anything, I had to make sure I wasn't going to die anytime soon. When the girls merged, I thought there was a chance I could successfully give Monet my abilities."

Rich then said, "And now you can't because of Claudette. So what are we supposed to do?"

He heard Gabe say, "What about catching her?"

Rich just shook his head, "She's gone into hiding. If we could catch one of her gang, then we might be able to find her."

Cartier didn't know what to think of that, but he then said, "What if she's with Marius? Do you know where he hides?" He watched as Rich nodded and he continued by saying, "She might be there."

He watched as Rich shook his head and said, "I doubt it. Unless we can seperate Monet for Claudette, we have no plan to work with."

Cartier then said, "Exactly. Until we can make sure Monet can handle this, I've got to stay alive." It was a discomforting thought, but it was entirely true. Neither Marius nor Claudette were fit to control magic, but in time they would learn minimal magic skills.

He then heard Grimore say, "I told you long ago that Marius was evil. Just as Rich is good in his nature." He then saw how Richard moved his head to face the the direction of the cat. Before Rich could say anything, Grimore just said, "I knew a long time about Marius, but your grandfather and father both vowed to keep him secret from you. Maybe it was not the best choice."

He listened as Rich said, "Cartier, I still don't understand how you and Gabe can hear Grimore speak. If Grimore speaks to either Yvette or myself, the others just hear him meow."

He then hear Gabe say, "I think it comes from the fact that we are virtually the same in our title. Since we each hold some sort of mystical title, we each can understand what Grimore says. However, since he is bound to your family, he is your advisor."

Cartier was surprise at the answer Gabe gave. "Gabe, that was a very profound answer, and you are still new at this." He then turned to Rich and said, "But that is the long and short of it. I do have a feeling though you have another question." He saw that Rich was about to speak, but at that moment, he saw the door open and Yvette came in with Jubilee.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Rich**  
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Rich stopped talking the second he heard Yvette in his mind say, _"Dear, I think Jubilee has a question for you."_ He turned himself so he was facing the sound of the door. Yvette then said, "Sorry to interupt all you, but Jubilee has an important question for you Rich."

He waited for Yvette to come to his side. He felt Yvette take his hand and he stood up. "What is it Jubilee?" He did wonder why Jubilee had to come down to the apartment to ask him a question.

He heard Jubilee say, "Well, I was wondering if I could use your phone to call my friend Cyn-Jen. I just found out that she was the one who suggest the girl talk to Godiva." He realized why she was asking him this. Almost everyone at the school had heard a tale about her and Cyn-Jen.

Rich smiled and said, "No problem. In fact, we can use the vid phone to call her." Almost if prompted, he felt Yvette lead him over to the desk with the vid phone on it. When they stopped, he heard Yvette dialling Godiva's phone number. He wondered what Godiva's reaction would be if she saw his face.

Soon enough, he heard Godiva's voice as she said, "Yes, Lady Godiva speaking." He heard for the pause, and a scream. Finally, Godiva just said, "Rich, what happened to you? Don't tell me something bad happened to the girls."

Rich just smiled as he said, "No, Godiva, they are still fine. I just wish I could have seen your expression, but I'll have Yvette fill me in on it. As for my eyes, I'll have to inform you later about what happened to them. Right now, I need to ask you about a girl named Cynthia-Jennifer."

He heard Godiva laugh and say, "She brought those girls' problem to my attention. She works here, after school of course. She's actually helping get an exhibit together right now. Do you want to speak with her?"

He shook his head and said, "No, but I have someone here who does want to speak to her. Can you get her to the phone?"

He heard Godiva say, "Yes, hold on one second."

As he waited, he hear Yvette say, "I think her eyes almost shot out of their sockets when she saw you, Rich."

He gave out a slight chuckle when she giggled. He then said, "Who knows, she might want to put a picture of Mojo in her museum." He had to admit one thing. If he had never seen Mojo before in his life, he would never have believed such a horrible entity ever existed.

Soon, he heard a voice from the vid-phone say, "Hello, are you Richard Cale?"

It had to be Cynthia-Jennifer. He nodded and said, "I take it you are Cynthia." The girl made a sound of acknowlegdement. He then said, "Good, I have someone here who wishes to speak to you." He stood and motioned for Jubilee to come to the phone. He felt Yvette take his arm and move him back.

Soon, he heard Jubilee say, "Cyn-Jen, how are you?" He could hear a gasp of shock on the other end, but figured Jubilee needed this time to be unobserved.

He just said, "Maybe we should give her some time to speak, alone." Everyone he figured got the hint when he heard movement. He then said to Yvette, "Let's all go head to the bed room and chat in there." He felt Yvette lead him over there, and after a few moments, he heard the door close. He felt Yvette guide him over to someplace to sit, and they sat down. He finally asked a question that was on his mind. "Can I ask you two what you know about this fight my family has with Apocalypse?"

He waited until Cartier said, "Do you want the good news, or the bad news?"

He didn't know which he should hear first and said, "You pick, Cartier."

Cartier just said, "Well, as far back as the history goes, everytime you family has faced off against him, your relative died soon afterwords. I'm guessing that this was due to the fact that none of them were mutants."

Rich didn't like the sound of that, and then asked, "I hope that was the bad news."

He heard Cartier respond by saying, "It was. The good news is this time, he's scared of you. When I first heard of your parents death, I had a feeling that he was the cause. He's hoping to fight you when you have no idea what is going on."

He then heard Yvette say, "So Apocalypse wants to fight Rich now because Rich has no clue about what the family does." He could tell she was getting upset.

He was surprised when Gabe said, "However, if what Cartier told me on the plane is right, you might be the only person who might be able to defeat him. Your ability might make you his equal, if not his better." Rich thought about it for a moment. He reflected on what happened with Davis. Davis did always claim about Big Blue, and how this Big Blue wanted him dead. He always wondered why, but now he knew. Apocalypse was afraid of him. He didn't know how that made him feel, but he wasn't sure it was a good thing.

He could here some happiness in Yvette's voice as she said, "You mean to say that Apocalypse might be running scared because of Rich." I made him feel even better that she had some confidence in him, but there was still an uneasiness. Maybe he was going to succeed in fighting Apocalypse, but he felt he was going to lose a battle soon.

He then heard Cartier say, "That maybe the case. When ever the battle has happened, Apocalypse has always appeared to your family, but right now, he's trying to avoid the confrontation. He might even bring you to the fight, not bring the fight to you."

None of the words were comforting, but he had to deal with it. He then said, "So what you are saying is that someday soon, Apocalypse will try to kidnap me in hopes he will catch me off guard and kill me."

He then heard Gabe say, "That and probably make sure you're the last of your family." He didn't like the sound of that, and by the way Yvette had tightened her hand around his, she didn't like the sound of it earlier.

Again, he need to reflect on it more, and he also felt a yawn escape from his mouth. He just said, "Yvette, what time is it?" He was feeling tired, and needed rest.

He then heard his wife say, "It's going on 10 PM. You've all been talking for a few hours." He had to admit, it did feel like hours, with the dinner and such, plus with the nightmare from the previous night.

He then said, "Well, we all might want to turn in then. If Jubilee hasn't left, you might want to tell her to leave. I'd be surprised though if she is still talking to Cyn-Jen." He knew Godiva took time to set up her exhibits, but even she knew when to call it a day. Besides, he was hoping he could get a better nights sleep this night. Tomorrow, he had a feeling, would be very busy.


	79. Bad Omens About The Day

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Win Some, Lose Some

Bad Omens About The Day

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Claudette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Claudette raised her hand and let it fly at the form in front of her. "Think your love will save you now?" was all she said as her hand landed on the dummy's face in front of her. She followed up with a punch to chest. She felt a smile cross her face when she thought of the pain that Yvette would cry out in when the time came. Claudette knew when the time came, she would do this to the real Yvette. It was only a fringe benifit that she found out about Yvette's hyper healing.

She was almost startled when she heard Black Tom say, "Are ye having fun, lass?" She turned to face him and she honestly wondered how long he'd been watching.

She just nodded and said, "I'll have more fun when the real thing is here instead of this practice dummy." She smiled again at all the possible pains she could put Yvette through. "It's just not as fun when the victim doesn't scream in pain."

She heard Black Tom say, "Listen lass, the last thing we want is to kill or harm her. I wouldn't want to deal with a wild man. I do believe that that lead him into a full blown fury the last time with me clone."

She just smiled and said, "Maybe, but I do know that Yvette has a faster healing factor than Wolverine. In fact, I have a feeling most of what I do to her would heal within an hour." She watched as another figure entered the room. "It looks like our secret member has entered with a report."

Black Tom turn and said, "Lad, what have ye discovered?"

She listened as the boy said, "Apparently, four more girls and two gentleman arrived at the school. One of the men was apparently African in descent."

Claudette felt her smile grow wider as she said, "He's here. This could lead to better things." She watched as Tom looked at her, but she would say no more. He wouldn't understand what she meant by that. Only one person would understand the implications of this news, and if things worked right, what would happen. She just walked over to Tom and said, "I need to get in touch with someone. I shall have a note sent out, but all will be ready for tomorrow." She walked out of the room, and made her way to where Golden was given quarters. When she entered the room, she was almost shocked to see that he was watching a video, and judging by the image on the screen, it was not one her sister Monet would like to see. She just mentially said, _"Golden, I have a task for you."_ She smiled as the boy quickly jumped up and stopped the video. She could see he was embarassed. She then said, _"Do not worry, my minion, I do not mind if you watch that stuff. However, I do need you to send a message to my brother."_ She handed him a note and then said, _"He must receive it, and you must return before we set up for the ambush. Understood."_ When he nodded, she said _"Good, here are the directions, and don't delay."_ She watched as he ran out the door. She looked around the mutes room and wondered what else he had in here, but decided she didn't need to know right now, and left the room.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette almost jumped when Rich screamed. It wasn't the fact that it was an audible scream, but it was psyonic. She never heard him scream like that. She looked over at him and saw how tense he was getting. It was if she was looking at herself having a nightmare. She also knew what she had to do. She removed all the covers from the bed. When she saw how tense her husband got, she said, "This is not good. He's never had a nightmare this bad."

She got up, figuring if she would wake him up and get him standing, he'd calm down. She reached down and grabbed his shoulders and shook him. If it hadn't been for the fact that he had her ability, and she knew how to protect herself from it, her hands would have been severly cut. She then heard Grimore say, "What is wrong with the Paladin?"

She just said, "He's having a nightmare, and I can't wake him up." She didn't want to tell Grimore how bad it was, but she had a feeling the cat could tell.

She saw Grimore jump onto her side of the bed and say, "Judging by the state he's in, and from what I've seen of when you have a nightmare, that this one is extremely bad. You might need help in calming him down."

She nodded and opened the bedroom door. Sleeping in some comfort was their two guests. She would have prefered setting up extra beds, but they did not have the room here. Cartier had taken the sofa, while Gabe was sleeping on the floor. She went over to Cartier and said, "Cartier, sir, please wake up."

Soon, she heard him stir, "What's wrong, Yvette?" It made her feel better that he could tell something was wrong.

She looked back into the room, and saw Rich was still deep in the nightmare. She just said, "Rich is having a nightmare, and I can't bring him out of it. Can you call for Sean and Emma, while I keep trying?"

When he nodded, she ran back to the bedroom and tried to probe Rich's mind to calm him down. What ever this nightmare was, she wasn't sure she could do what was needed. She was thankful when she heard Cartier say, "Sean, are you there, we have a problem down here." Soon she heard another voice answer. She started to feel relief.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Sean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sean awoke startled by the sound of the intercom. It was one of the few items Rich and Yvette had installed just in case there were any problems. He actually dreaded hearing it, because it meant a serious problem. One they couldn't handle themselves. Sean reached over to the intercom button to respond and said, "Aye, I'm here. What's going on?"

When he finally realized who was talking he started to fear the worst. It was Cartier St. Croix, and he was afraid that Emplate was attack when Cartier said, "Sean, we have a problem down here."

Sean felt worried for his adopted daughter and son-in-law. "Cartier, what's the problem? What's happening down there?" He hoped that whatever it was, he was not too late to stop it. Ever since he had adopted Yvette as his own daughter, he had a fear that something would happen to her.

Sean was half relieved when he heard Cartier say, "Sean, I don't know how to say this, but it appears that Richard is having a terrible nightmare. Yvette just said he is having a terrible nightmare and that his skin is extremely tense, as if she was having a nightmare." Sean knew what that meant. Rich must have been having the mother of all nightmares.

Sean got out of his bed and said, "I'll be right down, with Emma, to help." He let go of the intercom and jumped out of bed. Normally, if Rich had a nightmare and it was bad, Yvette could calm him down. For her to call for help meant that the nightmare was extremely bad.

Just as he was about ready to call Emma, he heard her in his mind say, _"I already know about it Sean. It woke me up out of a very nice sleep, and a very nice dream. Yvette may need a boost from me to help her calm Rich down."_

He knew Emma had kept the lines of comunications open between them as he said, _"I agree, I just hope no one else discovers this."_ Although, he had a feeling that Jono might have felt this. He then said, _"However, I do believe Jono will know about this."_

He heard Emma sigh and say, _"I'll meet you at their apartment."_ After that, he didn't hear her in his head anymore. Of course, he was well aware that it didn't mean that she wasn't still in his head. As he got dressed, he couldn't help but think about Emma a bit. She had changed so much over the time she was teaching Generation X. He hope the changes would still continue for the better. Deep down, he worried about her sometimes. He truely didn't want to admit that he had feelings for her, but he couldn't admit that to her.

When he finally was dressed, he ran out of the building he resided in and ran towards the main building. He arrived there just at the same time Emma had. As they entered, he just said, "This isn't a good sign. In all the time Rich has been here, he's never had a nightmare this bad."

He watched as she nodded. "I know. And given all the things going on, it's not a good omen." He knew what she meant. With the four girls from Rich's hometown there, he wondered if something bad was about to happen to them, and Rich couldn't stop it.

When they got to the apartment, Sean was surprised to see Gabe at the door, saying, "I don't know what's going on, but Rich has been in one nasty state for a while now." Sean ran in to see Yvette was almost struggling to hold Rich still. He knew what would have happened if any of them would have touched Rich at that time.

He heard her say as she looked at them. "I need help to calm him down." Before he could say anything, Sean watched as Emma walked over to Yvette's side. He noticed that her eyes were glowing, just like she was using her ability. In fact, he then noticed that Yvette's eyes were glowing, too. Soon, he saw Rich slowly stop thrashing about. When the lad finally stopped, he heard Yvette say, "Thank you, Emma."

He watched as she nodded and said, "You're welcome, Yvette. It was not an easy task." Almost as if it was cued, he saw Emma start to fall. He quickly caught her, and noticed she wasn't faking the fatique. In fact, she was almost unresponsive.

He sat her in a chair for a moment, and said, "Any idea what his nightmare was?" He watched as Yvette shook her head. It wasn't a good sign. He then said, "Alright, why don't we all head to the medical center. Maybe Hank might be able to let us know if something might have happened inside him, like an epileptic attack." He watched as Yvette lifted her husband up. As she left the room, he couldn't help but have a terrible feeling of dread.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Daria**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Daria didn't know why she woke up early that morning. With all that was going on, classes were cancelled for the day. So why did she wake up early. The last thing she could remember was having a nice dream, and then it ended rather abruptly. She walked over to the window an looked out at the school ground. From her window, she had a clear view of the main building. As she looked out, she noticed two figures heading towards it. She recognized them immediately. As she stood up, she had a dread in her heart. Something happened to Rich and Yvette. Daria quickly put some clothes on and ran out into the hall. "Everyone wake up. Something's up."

It didn't take long for the rest of the girls to show up. When everyone got together, Paige, Jubilee and Clarice were up front, while Britney, Jessica and Mandy were behind them. Removed from the group was Christina, but Daria knew why. Christina looked like she was looking for someone. She figured any questions could be answered later about who Christina was looking for. Soon Jubilee asked the first question, "Daria, what's up?"

Daria look at all of them and said, "Something's up. I just saw Sean and Emma run into the main building. I think something might have happened to either Rich or Yvette." She noticed a worried look cross some of the girls' faces, especially some of them from Rich's home town.

She then heard Paige say, "Ah wonder if he had a severe nightmare. Ah was in the middle of a nice dream and all of a sudden, Ah was awake."

It was the same thing that had happened to her. Daria responded by saying, "Same thing happened to me. If he did have a nightmare, it must have affected most of us who were dreaming."

She then heard Christina say, "Would that account for the disappearence of the Meloda woman?"

She had no clue what that meant until Clarice said, "No. She probably disappeared when Darrett fell asleep. He can't keep beings here if he's asleep or unconscious." She watched as the girl nodded in understanding. She had to wonder if the girls ability worked the same way.

She then heard Britney say, "So should we find out what happened, or stand here like fashion rejects." Daria couldn't help but feel the girl had some bitterness in her. She wondered if the girl was planning something, but the girl did have a good idea.

Jubilee just said, "She's right. Everyone to the main building." With that, Daria followed as everyone of the girls headed over to the main building.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Angelo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Angelo had been out like a light to the world when Jono came in and woke him. He didn't even get to ask why before Jono disappeared out into the hall. When he finally got out of his room, he saw Jono standing ther with Everett, Darrett and Mondo. When he got to the group, he said, "Okay, Jono, why the rude wake up call."

He was almost startled when Jono said, _"Rich was having a nightmare, and it was a severe one. I felt it all the way over here. I think Sean and Emma might be on their way over to check on him."_

He then heard Darrett say, "I've got a bad feeling that Emplate is going to attack today." Angelo had learned to deal with the boy from a terrible future. Darrett was still a bit pessimistic, but when Clarice arrived, he started to lighten up. True, it wasn't the same Clarice that he had met back during the Phalanx encounter, but this one had a good affect on Darrett.

Everett just said, "He might be right. Or something just as bad is going to happen. Maybe we should head over there and find out what's the matter."

Angelo looked at his friend and said, "You might be right. Besides, if something is going to happen, a doubt any of us will be falling asleep." With that, they all headed out of the boy's dorm and over to the main building.

It was as if everything was destine to happen the way it did. When they reached the main hall, they encounted all the girls. When they were all in the main hall, he heard Clarice say, "You saw Sean and Emma as well?"

Angelo shook his head and said, "No, Jono felt Rich have a nightmare."

Everyone looked over at Jono and he just said, _"Rich and Yvette have a psi-bond, and when he has a severe nightmare, I can feel it."_ He saw most of the girls nod in understanding, except the four newcommers.

He then heard Christina say, "Excuse me, Darrett. Could you bring that person back?" He was wondering about that question when all of sudden, a woman with green hair appeared behind Christina. He saw her smile and say, "Thank you."

Angelo looked over at Darrett and said, "Dude, what was that about?"

He could see Darrett look at him and say, "It's a bit difficult to explain." He then saw that Clarice was blushing a bit. He didn't think she could blush.

He walked over to Darrett and quietly said, "You mean to say you two were.."

Before he could ever continue his statement, Darrett said, "No, not that. We were just kissing. Yvette walked in on us, but she said she wouldn't tell."

Angelo nodded and said, "Well, I don't think she did tell. I'm not surprised that you two get along well. You two make a nice couple." He could tell that Darrett liked hearing that.

Before anyone could say anything else, Angelo heard a new voice say, "Well, I wasn't expecting such a large turnout for a house call. It is a rather welcome surprise." He turned to see the form of Hank McCoy standing at the door. "It's rare when a doctor gets a large welcome."

He heard Jubilee say, "We all think Rich had a nightmare, but we don't know yet."

Angelo knew Beast was smart, and he knew Beast loved to show it in his speech. "Then, I suggest that we all seek the answer to the query of Rich's well-being at the med-center. If he was taken anywhere, he would be there. He is regaining his vision today." He then remembered that Rich was loosing the bandages around his eyes today. With that in mind, they all headed to the med-center.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Hank**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Hank McCoy walked behind the group of children. There were four there he didn't recognize, and he would probably ask about who they are in time. Right now, he was there to check on Richard Cale. After what had happened to the boy in the Mojoverse, he needed to be sure that the camera's were gone, and the boy's eyes were ok. There was only one side effect of the whole procedure, but he didn't know if the boy would accept it or not. When they all reached the med-center, he was surprised to see four people in the room. Three of which he had known, including Sean, Emma and Cartier St. Croix. The fourth person in the room was a mystery. When he entered the med-center, he just said, "Alot of people here for an eye exam." They all spun to look at him, but the mysterious new person was almost in shock.

It was then when Emma said, "Hank, we weren't expecting you so early. We thought you'd arrive later." True, he would have arrived later, but he had decided that the sooner the bandages came off, the better it would be for Richard.

He just smiled and said, "Well, judging by the new faces here, maybe it is better I arrived early. Besides, everyone is wondering what has happened to Richard, myself included." He could see that Richard was just laying quietly, with a slight redish hue to his skin. Similar to what Yvette looked like when she was tensed up. He put his hand on Rich's hand and then check his own. "It seems he's not as tense as he was, so what did happen?"

He heard Cartier say, "Richard apparently had a nightmare that severly scared him. One he couldn't wake up from easily."

Hank nodded and said, "I see, so why is he still out?"

Sean then said to him, "Emma and Yvette used their psychic abilities to calm him down." That did explain alot. It explained his current relaxed state, and why the boy was still apparently asleep.

He just looked at Rich's face and said, "Well then, it appears that now might be a good time to see if his eyes are better." He then slowly removed the blindfold from Rich's face. He wondered how Rich had coped with being blind. He wasn't totally sure how he would have coped with the situation. He pulled out a few instruments from his bag and began checking Rich's eyes. While the boy would not be able to respond, he could still check on the state of his eyes.

As he checked for any signs that the camera's remained, he heard someone enter and Yvette say, "Dr. McCoy. You're early." He looked over at her and saw she had come in with what was apparently Rich's clothing, including his glasses.

He just smiled and said, "Yvette, I figured that the sooner I got here, the happier your husband would be to be able to see again." He then looked at everyone and said, "It looks like everything will be fine now, and there has been a nice little side effect to what has happened."

As he put the instruments away, he heard Sean say, "What sort of side effect is it, Hank?"

Hank just smiled and said, "Well, Richard will no longer require the corrective lenses he has worn all this time. He now has 20/20 vision." He could see the look of shock on everyone's face. "I think it was partially due to the laser surgery I had to do to remove most of the cameras. Yvette's healing factor did the rest of the work to make his vision 20/20."

He then heard the mysterious gentleman speak. "So Rich will be able to see all his company and friends now." Apparently, this man was a visitor, but aware that Rich and everyone at the school were mutants.

Hank then looked over at Emma and said, "How long do you think Rich will be out?" He knew what Emma's power was capable of when used in that capacity. The boy might be out of it for a few hours. "I'd like to notify Rich of his situation myself if you don't mind."

He watched as Emma nodded and said, "Maybe a few more hours. Both Yvette and I thought he would need some rest after the nightmare cleared up."

He then heard Yvette say, "Also, I want to get to town and back in time. I have to check on the comic books he puts on reserve. He still keeps his old hobbies." She smiled when she said that. He then watched as she departed. He didn't know if Yvette could drive yet or not, but he knew of her past.

Before he could say anything, Sean just said, "Emplate has been after other things lately, which is why the four other gels are here. Allow me to explain." With that, Hank listened as Sean started to explain the whole situation to him.


	80. Setting A Trap In Motion

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Win Some, Lose Some

Setting A Trap In Motion

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Elane**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Elane dared to leave her room. She felt she was spending too much time in there, but given her condition, her beloved didn't want to take any chances. She slowly made her way over to his chamber. When she entered, she noticed that he was focused on a note. She made her way over to him and said, "My dear Marius, what has you so intregued?"

Emplate looked at her and said, "This note we received, my love. It appears that that my dear sister has a plan that I will benefit from. She says that I may soon be recipient of our father's biggest gift. The only way that can be is if he dies."

She looked over at her lover and said, "That could make life terrible for Generation X, as well as Richard. I do hope she succeeds." She gave Emplate a quick kiss on his forehead and then said, "Now, on to other matters. Which of the girls shall be helping me when the time comes?" She knew he knew what she was referring too. She then said, "Will I get Britney?"

She watched as he shook his head. "No my love. I have promised her to Freeze Frame. You may have one of the other two girls, but as you know, we must keep Christina alive."

Elane understood why they needed her alive. She just smiled and said, "Of course, my love. Any word from Britney? Has she given us a clue on when to attack?"

She was disappointed when he shook his head and said, "No, and what make you think I'll let you come along? It would be very risky to you in your situation." She knew how much he cared for her, especially now.

She just smiled and said, "True, but think of the blow it would send to Rich and Yvette if they found out." She watched as his eyes hinted at an evil smile under his respirator. He liked the idea. She then said, "Can I join you when the time comes?"

She heard him laugh with delight. "You may love, you may. It may put Rich and Yvette into a bit of depression to find out about our good news." She started to laugh with him. This was going to be a golden moment for them.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Quinn**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Quinn stood at her post, watching the front of the town's only comic book store. With all that Claudette had known, she could not tell them what time Yvette would arrive. She watched as two guys entered the store. One looked langly, while the other looked tough, and in need of being taken down a few notches. As they continued to watch, she heard Claudette say, "Those two may be useful, or at least one will be. I think you can put the other one to good use. I bet he doesn't know what a real kiss is like."

She smiled at that thought. She then said, "The one does look like he'd be no great loss to the world. And it looks like our star is just arriving." She watched as everyone watched with her. Yvette had arrived and just entered the store.

She then heard Black Tom say, "Alright, let's do a quick recap. Quinn, you and Golden head in there and scare her out the back. Juggernaut will steer her toward our surprise member for the capture."

Quinn nodded and said, "I understand. I just hope everything goes without a hitch. I don't want her giving me a scratch." True, she had given Yvette one of her kisses. She even enjoied having the body Yvette had, but she wanted to see Rich lured to his death. She motioned for Golden to follow her to the door.

Now was the all important first part of the plan. She had to set the ambush in motion. She waited a few moments, and saw that Yvette had paid the man at the register and was looking around in the back of the store. This was her chance. She motioned for Golden to stay outside and walked in. When she reached the counter, she heard the man there gasp. She knew why, especcially with the outfit she picked. As she stood there, he leaned over the counter and said, "May I help you?"

It was pathetic, but she knew how to handle a guy like this. She leaned forward, face to face, and said, "Yes you can." With that she kissed him. Right away, she knew he wasn't a mutant. She felt his lifeforce enter into her. She could feel him trying to get out of it, but she wouldn't let him go. When she felt the last of his life leave him, she let him go. She watched the figure fall to the floor, and motioned Golden in. As what little sound in the room died, she knew that soon Yvette would panic.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette had heard Weasel and Dorian talking when she entered the store. She also knew that they weren't the best people in town, but they weren't the worst. Rich had even told her once that Weasel seemed to be able to think on his own, he just seemed to have low self-esteem. As she looked at some of the shelfs, she found some of the manga comics. She picked up one of the Tenchi series when she heard Weasel say, "Hi Yvette. This is the second time you've been in town without Rich. Where is he?"

Neither of the two knew that they were mutants, but she sometimes wondered if either suspected or if events would cause things to happen. She just smiled and said, "He's been under the weather the past two weeks. He should be alright by next week, but he does want to keep up to date." She watched as Weasel smiled, seeming to understand. Dorian, however, looked like he could care less.

She then heard Dorian say, "Damn, never thought we'd ever see that here." She followed both Dorian and Weasel's gaze to the counter. The owner was kissing someone, and Yvette felt her heart stop when she realized who it was.

She quickly tap the two of them on the shoulder and said, "Guys, I think it would be wise to get out of here, and by the back door." She pointed to a closed door in the back of the building.

She then heard Dorian say, "What good would ...." That's when it stated. She knew Golden had entered the building. He was killing the sound in the room. She motioned to the back of the building. She could tell both were trying to talk, and were getting frustrated with the situation. When they finally got to the door and closed it, Dorian's words finally came out, "kinda freak is she? Was that chick one of those mutants?"

She could tell that Dorian was not open minded at that point. Weasel, however, was open minded when she heard him say, "They both must have been, but what made them evil?" Weasel had a brain.

As she made her way to the back door, she just said, "Don't know what made them evil, all I know is that girl is the one Rich told me about. She commited some murders at the one school he attended. I think we just saw how she does it. She tried to attack Rich recently and she might be after me." She noticed that both were is some sort of shock.

She was glad when Weasel said, "Don't worry about it Yvette, I'll help keep them out." She saw a look that could have shot daggers come from Dorian. Apparently, he didn't want to risk helping.

She openned the rear door and said, "Thanks guys. Hopefully, they won't head back here." She ran out ther door and closed it slowly, to hide the sound it would make. She smiled when she finally had it closed. Maybe running a few back alleys would help ditch them.

She turned to head down one when she heard a voice behind her say, "Hello girl." She felt her blood go cold. She turned just so have an armored fist send her flying toward a wall. She looked at the armored form to hear him say, "Here's Uncle Juggy."

She start to move when she realized something held her to the wall. She was trapped. She hadn't tensed up, and didn't want to risk it yet. She kept strugling to get free when she heard the voice of Claudette say, "Well, well, well, I never thought of you as a wall flower, Yvette." She glanced over at Claudette and almost froze in horror when she saw who was behind her.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Black Tom**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Black Tom watched the shock when Yvette finally saw him. He slowly approached her and said, "So lass, it seems yur a bit surprised to see me. Did ye think I was dead?" He watched as the girl slowly nodded in fright. "Well lass, if you figured out the one Mondo was a clone, did ye ever think I would have sent a clone to the school"

He watched as she struggle to get free from the wall. She still had no idea that they had one extra person there. He watched as she looked at him and said, "I can't believe your still alive. What are you up to?"

He just smiled and said, "Vengence lass. I had a feeling that the clone I sent originally to the school has gone soft. So I sent a clone of meself with another clone. However, yur friends and that Richard Cale lad. Now Mondo, if ye'd please."

He saw the shock on her face, especially as arm morphed out of the wall and applied a sleeper hold to her. He smiled when she gasped out, "You always had Mondo, we had a clone." It was the last words she had said before going unconscious.

He watched as Claudette placed a power nullification collar on Yvette. He then said, "Mondo, get her to the hideout."

After Mondo left, he heard the girl named Quinn say, "We caught two others boss." He remembered seeing the two enter before Yvette. He wondered what Claudette had planned for them.

Tom looked at Claudette and said, "What do ye have planned for them?" He had a feeling that Claudette had some incidious task planned for them.

He watched as Claudette walked over to them and said, "Now, one of you boys are going to deliver a message to Rich for me."

He heard the one boy say, "I ain't doing anything for any mutie freak." The lad obviously had no idea of the situation he was in.

He watches as Claudette had a wicked grin cross her face. She then said, "Quinn, maybe that one needs a lesson in manners. Juggernaut, if you could hold him still."

He saw Juggernaut do it, and he then saw the fear in the boy's eyes. He watched the other boy shake in horror as Quinn kissed the first boy. He watched as the life slowly drained from the boy. He heard the other boy, being held by Golden, say, "Oh my God."

He waited as Claudette walked over to the other boy and said, "Now, I need you to deliver a message to Richard Cale. Tell him we have Yvette, and if he wants her back, he has to come to this location." He watched as she handed the boy a piece of paper. She then said, "Just tell him what happened to your friend, and he'll know who sent this. Now go."

When the boy ran off, he just said, "Good plan lass, now what about this boy?"

She just smiled and said, "We make it look like he fell." He saw Juggernaut smile.

Juggernaut just said, "Leave that to me. I punch him, and people might think he got hit by a car." He nodded and they left for the hideout. Before they moved any farther, he watched as Claudette ran into the store, and then come out with a tape. Before he could say anything, she motioned him to keep silent. He wondered what she had planned, and wondered if it was something that their prisoner would not like.


	81. Abducted

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Win Some, Lose Some

Abducted

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Emma**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emma walked through the main building. Hank had told them it would be a while until Rich awoke, and that it might be best if he talked to the lad first. At least all the students and guests were eating something. Last thing she wanted to deal with was hungry, panicy people. The whole nightmare incident had made almost everyone nervous, and she couldn't blame them. The only problem right now was that no one knew what the nightmare was. It still bothered her, and she just had a feeling that today would not be a good day. She was almost startled when she heard a pounding at the main door. She walked over to the door and openned it just enough to see a young man at the door. She just said, "Can I help you?"

She could see a panicked look in the boy's eyes. He just looked at her and said, "Is Richard here? I need to talk to him." She didn't want to panic the boy any more than he was.

Emma openned the door and let the boy in. "He's here, but he's unavailable at the moment. Is there anything I can help you with." She wanted to try and calm the boy down, but decided against it. Last thing she wanted was to make the boy forget why he was there.

The boy just looked at her and said, "No, I need to talk to Rich himself."

Now Emma was more worried than she was before. She had a bad feeling about it. She just said, "Alright, I'll see if I can get him." She escorted the boy to a room and said, "Just wait here for him. By the way, who should I say is here?"

The boy stepped in the room and sat down. He then said, "Just tell him it's Weasel. He knows who I am." As she closed the door to the room, she could see that the boy was anxious and nervous. Something was worrying the boy.

When she had the door closed, she started toward the med center. She just said to herself, "Why is the boy so nervous? And why just Rich, unless..." A terrible thought entered her head. Yvette still wasn't back. She wondered if it was about Yvette. She started to run to the med-center. If anything was wrong, Rich needed to find out, since he knew the boy better than anyone else.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich awoke with a feeling of dread. Something was going to happen. He openned his eyes and looked around. Then he knew something was wrong. One was he wasn't in the apartment. The next one was that he didn't have his glasses on, yet saw everything perfectly. The third was he could barely remember his nightmare. When he finally got his senses together, he heard Hank McCoy say, "Well, Richard, you are finally awake. You might want to get dressed." He looked around, but couldn't see Dr. McCoy in the room. Then again, it might be wise for the two not to be in the same room. As he got dressed, he heard Dr. McCoy say, "As you might have guessed, Richard, you now have perfect vision. I figured that you may want to keep up an appearence of visual imparement, so I'm removing the lenses from your glasses."

When Rich was finally dressed, he just said, "How long have I been in here?" He left the room, and saw Hank working at a table.

He was surprised to hear Sean behind him. "Ye have been in there for a few hours. It's almost noon."

Now he was a bit worried. He looked over at Sean and said, "Sean, what all happened to me?" He was starting to be concerned for everything. He knew he had a nightmare, but he couldn't remember it, and anything could have happened until now.

He then heard the Beast say, "To put it simple, you apparently had the mother of all nightmares. It took both Emma's and Yvette's psi abilities to calm you down." He figured that would explain why he couldn't remember the nightmare. Hank then said, "When I arrived, they had gotten you here. I checked you out, made sure your eyes were ok, and we have all been awaiting your return to the waking world."

Rich's feeling of dread continued to escalate. He looked at Sean and said, "Are the girls alright?"

He watched as Sean nodded and said, "Aye lad, the lasses are still with us. They might be eating lunch right now."

Rich felt part of the dread subside, but not all of it. He could only remember fragments of the dream now, but they were enough. He then said, "Gabe and Cartier, where are they?"

He then heard Emma say, "With the others, and Yvette went into town." He knew why she had done that. The dread was almost gone when Emma then said, "But, there is a boy here, named 'Weasel', he wants to talk to you, and apparently only you."

The feeling of dread started to swell again. He then said, "Is he alone, cause if he is, something is definately not right?" He saw a grim look cross Emma's face, and he said, "Don't say it, I'll head right over. But first, I need to keep the appearance up."

He watched as Hank looked up and said, "Done. All you have is the frames here, so be careful with them." Rich nodded. He put them on and looked in the mirror. It should be just enough.

He turned to Emma and said, "Ok, show me the way, Emma. Weasel is usually the nicer of the two, but rarely is alone." As Emma lead the way, he could tell by her pace she was worried. He was worried, too, but he couldn't show it just yet. He had to hope that his imagination was going wild. If it wasn't, he had a bad feeling about the whole day.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Weasel**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Weasel sat in the room and tapped his foot constantly. After seeing how that girl killed Dorian, and the others taking Yvette away, he was scared. He had told Dorian once that one day he'd regret some of the things he had said about mutants. He wondered if Dorian realized what he had done before he died. He himself had no gripes with mutants. He could careless if any body was a mutant. He did suspect Yvette was a mutant, but he noticed that sometimes she was a bit scared of things. He almost jumped when he heard the door open, but was glad to see it was Rich. He just said to Rich, "Rich, you are not going to believe this."

Before he got anything else out, he noticed that Rich was looking around the room. When he stopped, he heard Rich say, "Trust me, not much can surprise me now."

Weasel just sighed and said, "Ok, but at least sit down." He watched as Rich did so. He then said, "I'm not sure how to best say this to you, but the person who told me insisted you be told. Today at the comic book store, Dorian and I ran into Yvette, and then this chick comes in. She had to be a mutant cause after she kissed the owner.."

He was almost surprised when he heard Rich complete his sentence, "the owner died." When he nodded, he heard Rich ask, "What happened to Yvette?"

He could see worry in Rich's face, more so then he would expect. He then said, "A bunch of mutants kidnapped her. I think it was the leader who wanted you to get the message of where to find Yvette. When Dorian said he wouldn't help mutants, the one that kissed the owner kissed him."

He watched as Rich stood up. He was almost surprised at the look on Rich's face. It was as if the whole news hadn't phased him. He then pulled out a piece of paper and said, "Weasel, call this number. It will bring the FBI to the crime scene. They will take care of everything."

Weasel was about to question about the FBI, but decided not to. Maybe they were the best people to call in this scenerio. He then handed Rich a piece of paper and said, "It the location of the hideout. Are you going to have the FBI go there?" He noticed that Rich seemed distant. He then said, "I think you'll know what to do best." He then ran out. He didn't want to seem like he was rushing Rich, but he felt that Yvette was not in good hands.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Sean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sean watched as the boy that had come to visit Rich left. He stood watching with Emma. Emma just said, "Sean, I have a very bad feeling about this. The way the boy had acted was almost as if something terrible happened."

He could tell she was concerned about it as much as he was. He just looked over at her and said, "It might be nothing. Sometimes people over react about small things." He was hoping that all it was was that the boy overreacted about minor bad news. When he heard the main door close, he watched as Rich openned the door to the room the two were talking in. When the lad look up at them, Sean could see the lad was extremely distressed. He and Emma ran down to the boy, and he said, "Lad, what's wrong with ye?"

Sean then saw how distressing the situation was as Rich started to tensed up. They both knew better than to touch him or Yvette if they were like that. Rich looked at them, and Sean swore he saw dispair in the lad's eyes. "T-T-They c-c-captured h-h-her. T-T-They c-c-captured Y-Y-Yvette."

Sean felt his heart drop when he heard that. He was more worried now then ever. "Who had kidnapped Yvette? Was it Emplate wanting a trade for the gals?"

He was almost relieved when Rich shook his head and said, "N-N-No. I-I-It w-w-was C-c-claudette a-a-and h-h-her cr-cr-crew. T-T-They k-k-killed W-W-Weasel's fr-fr-friend, a-a-and t-t-the o-o-owner o-o-of t-t-the s-s-store." Sean heard Emma gasp in horror. Then he heard the worse news of all. "I-I-I h-h-have t-t-to r-r-rescue h-h-her o-o-or G-G-God k-k-knows w-w-what w-w-will h-h-happen t-t-to h-h-her."

Sean looked at the lad and said, "Alright, lad, we will do something, but we need to think of what to do. We can't all go after her, or that will leave the other lasses vulnerable to an attack." He watched the boy nod in an understanding way. Sean then turned to Emma and said, "Emma, summon all the kids together, except for the four lasses. And get Rich's friends here as well. We need to plan this all out. Last thing we need to do is abandon the lasses and Yvette at the same time." When Emma walked out of the room, Sean just said, "Lad, ye might want to get ye sword. I have a feeling ye are going to need it." With that, he went with Rich to retrieve the item.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Angelo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Angelo sat in the room where Emma had asked everyone to gather. He wasn't surprised that the four girls weren't there, but he was surprised to see Cartier St. Croix and Rich's friend, Gabe there. As they all waited, he heard Darrett say, "Something must be up. I wonder if Emplate is planning another attack."

Angelo was afraid that Darrett's comment might upset Cartier, but noticed that man was not phased by it. He then heard Jubilee say, "Hey, where is Penny, Rich, Sean and Frosty?"

He glanced around the room and said, "They might be on their way. I wonder if it has anything to do with the guy I saw run to the building earlier." He had to admit, it was odd to see one of the townies running to the school, and stranger still to see the kid being let in.

He then heard Paige say, "Yuh don't think they think were mutants, do you?" He could tell Paige was nervous. He was a bit nervous as well. If that was the case, it wouldn't be long until a mob arrived at the doors to the school.

He felt relief as he heard Sean say, "It aint that, lass. However that might be better than what we do have." Angelo saw Emma, Sean and Rich enter, but Rich appeared different. He was tense, and was holding his sword.

Angelo knew that that wasn't a good sign. Now he had an idea of where Yvette was, but he didn't want to say it. However, he did hear Everett say, "What happened to Yvette?"

It was Emma who spoke next, and Angelo had an idea why. What she said only confirmed it. "Rich was notified that Yvette was kidnapped, and apparently it is Claudette behind it."

He then heard Cartier say, "Do you believe she knows that Marius wants the other girls?" He wondered if Cartier had come to the same conclusion as everyone else did.

Sean then said, "We dinnae think that is the case. If Claudette was helping Emplate, she would have struck at the school. This was planned in advance."

He then heard Clarice say, "That's why Grimore was spooked the other night. They must have been spying on us out there. The kidnapping seems to be to lure Rich to them. If he's going to rescue her, I'm going as well." He saw in her gestures that she would not take no for an answer.

He then heard Darrett say, "I'll go as well."

He watched as Rich shook his head and said, "N-N-No, D-D-Darrett. Y-Y-You n-n-need t-t-to s-s-stay h-h-here." Rich was really tense, because he almost struggled to say each word.

Emma then said, "Darrett, you're ability will be more useful protect the girls. Do we have any others who want to go on the rescue.

Angelo watched as Daria, Jubilee, Everett and Jono raised their hands. He then heard Cartier say, "You might need me there. Maybe I can help get Monet back to normal." He watched as Rich nodded.

He then saw Sean say, "Alright, the rest of us will stay here and guard the gels. Remember, we can't let anything happen to them. Rich, can ye handle leading this team." He watched as Rich nodded.

Angelo then said, "Don't worry, Skitz, we won't let the chica's get captured." When they all got up, he swore he heard movement near the door. He openned it and looked out only to catch movement disappear around the corner. With that he said, "I think we might want to be on our toes." He didn't know who had heard them, but he did hope it wasn't the one they suspected of helping Emplate.


	82. Assult On Claudette

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Win Some, Lose Some

Assult On Claudette

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Emplate**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emplate heard the chirp of the communicator that he had given to Britney. He had known of her contempt for the mutant girl, and knew she would be the easiest to manipulate. He walked over to the communicator and said, "Speak."

Soon, he heard a voice say, "Listen, I know you wanted to be notified if an opportunity arose, so there is one coming up. Someone captured the girl they call Yvette, and Rich is going to rescue her."

Emplate felt a little iritated when he heard that news, but it did give him the opportunity to capture the girls, the one contracting him included. He just said, "Do you know how many will be there?"

He listened as the girl hesistated. She was nervous, and to him, that was a good thing. She then said, "5 of them. Apparently the person who kidnapped Yvette is tough." If he was sure of anything, it was that Claudette would not be an easy foe to beat.

He inwardly smiled and said, "I will be there in two hours. Do not get caught before I get there." He ended the communication and left the room. It was time. The proverbial eleventh hour, and he was almost ready. As he continued down to halls, he just said, "Hellions, get ready to go."

He watched as Elane came out of her room. He had to admire how she kept going. Given her current state, he didn't expect her to be as active as she was. He heard Elane say, "I take it that it is now time."

He nodded and said, "Yes, and Claudette has arranged a nice little distraction for us. She has managed to capture Yvette, leading Richard and most of Gen X away from the school. The leads to a prime chance to capture the girls. It is a pity that we can't leave Britney behind."

Elane just said, "What about Rich and Yvette? I would love to see the look on their faces to see me now."

Emplate shook his head. "No doubt that Claudette realizes that Rich will rescue Yvette. The only thing she hasn't realized is how much he will win that battle. If fact, I'm sure that she notified me for a reason, and didn't know of our plan. But if my father is there, then she's after to give me something better than the Paladin and his wife."

He saw the stunned look on Elane's face and said, "What could be better than that?" He held up his hand to stop her from talking.

He then said, "My father was there, and he'll go with Rich. I think Claudette is planning to shorten his life drastically, for when he dies, I get his power." He heard her laugh in delight at that. At that point, they entered the room where all his Hellions were gathered. He just smiled and said, "My troops, today we capture the four girls we have been tracking for a while. Let us be off and capture our newest meals and members." This could be the beginning of a very long set of good luck for him.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Claudette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Claudette stood over Yvette as she finished tying the girl up. This would be a regular nightmare for Yvette. She knew that Yvette would try to trigger her powers to break her bonds, but with the collar on her, it would be impossible. It would be more interesting to find out what transpires when Golden took the watch. She then set the bound form of Yvette Cale up and raised her hand. In one fluid motion, she slapped Yvette and said, "Rise and shine, Penance. You don't want to miss the big show."

She watched as Yvette screamed and collapsed ot the floor. She knew Yvette had recovered from the blow when she said, "What are you up to Claudette? Are you helping Emplate capture the girls, or just helping him capture Rich and I."

Claudette was amazed that Marius had a new target. There had to be some special reason that Marius had changed his target. She just smiled and said, "You might not believe me Penance, but I had no idea of what Marius is up to. I did noticed your were surprised that Black Tom was alive."

She watched as a confused look crossed Yvette's face as she said, "How can he be alive? I saw Rich kill him."

She smiled and said, "The same way I'm going to be rid of my sister. Clones. Just like the one that's always been at the school. The only difference was, that one went soft. He had the original here the whole time. As for abducting you, Black Tom wants to get Skitz back, like myself, but I found out my father is there." She saw a look of fright go through Yvette's eyes. "That's right, Penance. I know he'll come here, and I know he'll try and help Monet. When he gets here, I'm going to kill him, and Marius will get all the powers my father has."

Right away, she heard Yvette say, "Claudette, you are demented. There is no way..." That was the moment Claudette waited for as she shoved the ball-gag into Yvette's mouth.

As she tightend the strap and the girl yelled into the gag, she said, "Now, stay quiet. we don't want you talking until the right time. Now I'll make sure someone is guarding you this time, unlike last time when you saved that stuck-up emma." She headed for the door and looked back. The look Yvette had was just right, with one difference, but if things went well, she could have a good hold on Golden's loyalty. As she left the cell, she saw Golden coming and psyoniccally said, _"Golden, I want you to keep an eye on Yvette. Make sure she can't escape."_ She watched as the boy nodded and entered the room.

She then headed for his quarters. She knew if things went right, he would head back there, and soon.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Golden**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Golden was a bit bewildered at Claudette's request, but it was not as odd as anything else he had seen. When they had returned from capturing Yvette, he discovered the tape he had been watching had been switched. He did like the new tape, but he like any tape like that. Not being able to hear or have learned to talk was a problem. Now he saw an image on the tape almost in real life. Someone had tied up Yvette Cale, the girl know to Generation X as Penance, in the same fashion as the image on the tape. As he looked on, he heard part of his mind say, _"Just like you always dreamed of."_

He quickly shook his head. He had a job to do and could not give in to any temptation. He mentally said to himself, _"Claudette would not want anything to happen to her. Don't give in to your dark side."_ Golden knew one thing about himself. Even though he couldn't speak, his inner desires led him on dark paths. He glanced back at Yvette again.

Again, he heard his darker half say, _"Why do you resist?"_

He shook his head again to clear it and mentally said, _"It's not right."_

Again, his darker half spoke and said _"What have you done lately that is right? You took part in murder, kidnapping. Do you draw a line here, or are you afraid that you might enjoy it?"_

He couldn't answer his dark half, because he knew it hit the nail on the head. He didn't enjoy the murder, or the kidnapping, or anything else he had done with Claudette. It was a job, and one didn't have to enjoy a job, but this was different. He barged out the door and saw Quinn walking toward the cell. He motioned to her to guard it, and then ran off in the direction of his room. When he reached his room, he closed the door and sighed with relief. He was started when he heard a psionic voice say, _"I had a feeling you'd come here."_ He turned and faced Claudette. She had been waiting for him. She just said, _"You have good control. I have had my eye on you for a while."_ When she got close to him, she continued, _"When the time is right, I can give you something better for your obedience."_ He was surprised when she kissed him. She then said, _"Think about your reward, and what it will be later."_ As she walked out, he smiled. He would never have pegged that happening.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Black Tom**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Tom watched the monitors to his hideout. It was now just a waiting game. He was about to get his chance at vengence. Tom knew this might be his only chance to try and get the boy back. He also knew the boy wouldn't come alone. In fact, he was expecting Richard Cale to bring re-enforcements. The boy wasn't apparently stupid. He then saw a vehicle pull up. He watched as the doors of the vehicle openned and all the Generation X-er's got out. He didn't recognize some of them, but he wasn't going to take long to speculate on it either. He left the room and headed for where Yvette was imprisoned. As he made his way to the room, he hit the button that signalled for everyone to get ready. As he moved through the halls, he shouted, "All right, everyone get ready. Our guests are about to arrive."

He wondered if Claudette could hear him. He knew she was going to be with Golden for a bit. He was almost startled when he heard her behind him say, "I'm aware. I've already informed Golden. I hope you set up the room where they will be entering."

He nodded and said, "Indeed, they will have to split up, and it's set up that all the halls will have a fake end, which I can remove if I choose."

He watched as she smiled and said, "And the hidden passages will help as well. We'll all get ready. You get Juggernaut to help you. I know things will go as planned." With that he watched as the girl ran off. He wondered if she had an alterior motive.

When he reached the cell, he openned the door and said, "Well, lass, it appears yur husband is here to rescue ye. But, he's going to have to get past me and Juggernaut. However, I think ye should see him fail." He could hear her try and yell at him, but the gag in her mouth prevented that. He then picked her up in a fireman's carry and headed to the chamber when he would wait for Richard Cale.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Everett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Everett stayed next to Jubilee as they entered what appeared to be Claudette's hideout. He didn't want her to get hurt by any of Claudette's goons. When they entered, he could tell this might not be easy. The room they entered had four corridors. He just looked over the situation and said, "Looks like we'll have to split up."

He watched as Rich looked over the situation and said, "She's trying to split us up. I would be surprised if she has an ambush waiting in each of the paths. The only benefit is that one path might not be guarded."

He heard Emma say, "How can you be sure, Skitz? You can't make that assumption based on the fact there are four

paths."

He watched as Rich continued looking over the choices and then realized what he was hinting at. "Last time you had to deal with Claudette and her troop, the one didn't work alone. You had mentioned about Freeze Frame and Golden. They are probably teamed together." He watched as Emma thought about it for a moment, and finally nodded.

He then heard Jubilee say, "Ok, so we know have four people to deal with, most likely one per path. What's the game plan?"

Soon, he heard Daria say, "Maybe we should each take a path, and if something happens, double back to this place." He watched as Rich nodded in agreement.

He then watched as Rich pulled out his sword and said, "Ok, we split up into four teams. Daria, you and Chamber take the far right path. Synch and Jubilee, take the far left. Emma and Cartier, center left, and Blink and I will take the center right. Stay quiet and listen for sound. If it too quiet, it's probably Golden."

As they broke off into groups and headed down their assigned paths, Jubilee stayed close to him and said, "Do you think we'll run into Golden or Freeze Frame?" He wondered why she left out both Claudette and Q.T.

He kept moving forward and said, "I guess you think we'd fare better against one of them. I hope so. To be honest, I don't know what we would do if we were up against Claudette or Q.T."

He kept moving forward as Jubilee said, "Afraid I'll get hurt?" He knew she could defend herself. He had seen her do it a few times. But he was afraid she would get hurt.

He synched up with her ability as he said, "Yes I am. I always worry about you, Jubilee." He waited for a moment to hear her responce, but then noticed something was wrong. She wasn't responding. However, he heard a faint explosion. He turned to see Jubilee struggling while Q.T. had her lip locked. He decided to try and synch up with Q. T.'s power as well. He was surprised and how quietly Q.T. had ambushed Jubilee. When she finally let Jubilee go, he just said, "That was a big mistake."

He watched as Q.T. eyed him and smiled evilly. "I agree. She didn't have much a figure to work with, at least not compared to Yvette." He heard the girl's wicked laugh and he lunged at her with his fist. She ducked out of the way and said, "May you should join her, two unconscious prisoners will make Claudette happy."

He had to think quick, and quickly through a spark behind him, right into her face. He heard her scream, and he quickly ran to Jubilee. He reached down and picked her up. "Not today, Q. T." Before he could run back down the hall. He was surprised to see Q.T. in front of him.

He could see her face was a bit burned, nothing major, but it would leave a mark. He felt her grab him as she said, "Pucker up, loser." Then she kissed him. He hoped that by synching up with her, he'd protect himself from her kiss. He kept his eyes openned, hoping he wouldn't close them. Soon he saw Quinn's eyes open in shock. She had realized he was still conscious. She let go of him and ran off. "Damn you. You're just like Richard. I'll get you for that one."

When she was out of sight, Everett just held Jubilee and said, "I'll get you back safe, Lee." With that, he headed back to the place where they had started. The whole team was down by one, and he wasn't going to leave Jubilee now. Now he had to keep her safe. He now had a better understanding of Rich's state of mind.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Jono**  
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Jono continued cautiously down the hall. He and Daria were not standing next to each other, but they didn't want any surprises to blind side them. As they moved down the hall, he said _"Daria, do you have anything like radar in you, being you are part Sentinel?"_ It was a shocking truth they had all learned long ago. One that Daria had to cope most with, since she was half mutant and half anti-mutant machine. However, if you would have asked him, it was obvious that the machine didn't exist.

He watched as she shook her head and said, "Not that I'm aware. I think we have to use a gut instinct." He watched as she stopped and then he looked down the hall. A figure was slowing approaching them. He then saw a surprised look on Daria's face as she said, "Mondo, what are you doing here. Did you come as back up?"

He started to wonder about it as well, and then he had a bad feeling. Something was not right. It started to piece together when the figure just said, "Do I know you?" There was a mixed tone in it. He was both puzzled, and annoied.

He could see the shock on Daria's face when she said "What do you mean by that?"

Now Jono was sure of it. He quickly shouted, _"Daria, he's not the real Mondo. Get away from him."_ He was not surprised when he saw Mondo morph into the wall and send Daria flying.

As Jono got between the two, he heard Mondo say "Starnge, I feel very real. It's true there were two clones of me, but it is the goal that is important."

That was when Jono realize what the blighter was saying. _"You bastard. You planted a clone to defeat, under Black Tom's orders, and now you want revenge."_ With that, he let lose a bio-blast, but Mondo melted into the floor.

As the figure melted away, he just said, "What makes you think it's my idea for revenge?" Now Jono was spooked. If that meant what he thought it meant, then Mondo wasn't the only clone.

He went to Daria and picked her up. He could tell she was still shook up from what had happened. He just said, _"Daria, that wasn't the Mondo you fell in love with. That one is evil. The one you love, and the one who loves you is back at the school."_ The girl was still shaking, but she was starting to understand what he said. He then said, _"Good, we'll get back to the center and see what we can do."_

When they arrived at the place where they had all stated, he noticed that Everett was there with Jubilee, and Jubilee was unconscious. He watched as Everett looked at him and Daria and said, "Chamber, Daria, what happened?"

He just said, _"Apparently, our Mondo is a clone. We just ran into the real one, and I have a bad feeling that someone else is around we didn't think was. What happened to Jubilee, Synch?"_

He watched as his friend said, "We ran into Q.T., and Jubilee ended up with her lips locked with Q.T." Jono understood completely then.

Jono just sighed, as best he could, and said, _"All right, I'm going to try and contact Emma. I think she should know that we might have one extra problem on our hands here."_ Soon, he was focusing on trying to contact Emma.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Emma**  
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Emma continued down the hall with Cartier. As she watched and scanned mentally, she heard Cartier say, "I'm hoping we do encounter Claudette. If you can stun her for long enough, I can make sure she doesn't gain control of Monet's body ever again."

She turned to face him and said, "What do you mean by that, Cartier?" She did hope that he didn't plan on killing Claudette. She didn't know if that would hurt Monet or not.

She watched as Cartier just said, "Magic, Miss Frost. It has been what my family has been good at for countless generations. The spell I would use would..." Emma could see that Cartier was talking, but the sound was gone.

She just mentally said, _"Golden is nearby. Be on your guard because Freeze Frame may be here."_ She slowly turned around to see Golden standing at the end of the hall. She saw Cartier face the same direction, and she said, _"I'm going to try and stop him. Be ready to run if need be."_ She started to advance on Golden, but he didn't falter. She wonder what was up. Was Golden suppose to ambush them. She projected her voice into Golden's head and said, _"You and Freeze Frame won't stop us."_ With that, she let loose with a powerful psi-blast. The blast knocked the boy back, but it didn't knock him out. She

was surprised by that as she said, _"How did he manage to stay standing?"_

Soon enough, she got a reply, but she wished that she didn't get the reply she got. She heard Claudette say psionically, _"He's got my support, you brain dead bimbo."_ She spun around to see Claudette behind Cartier. The girl had used the silence to get behind her father, and Emma could see the knife. Before she could warn Cartier, she saw Claudette thrust the knife in, and saw Cartier's face contort with pain. She ran over to Cartier just as Claudette said, _"Time to go. It won't be long until Marius has what he always wanted."_ She watched as Claudette ran off. Before she left, she said, _"And Emma, give Tom my fondest regards."_

This worried her, and soon, sound returned to the room. She heard Cartier gasping for his breath. She then noticed that the knife was in a bad spot. She just said, "Cartier, how long can you hold on?"

She watched as he shook his head and said, "She hit me in a very bad spot. I know I won't last the night, not unless I get medical help soon, and we can't leave without Rich and Yvette."

She had to admire the sacrifice he was making, but they needed him alive, and if what Claudette said had a ring of truth in it. It would be better if Cartier stayed alive. She did feel some comfort when she heard Jono say, _"Emma, we need you at the center. We have a situation."_

She quickly responded. _"I have a situation here as well. Claudette has stabbed Cartier, and he might not have long to live."_

If Jono was worried, he didn't show it in his speech. _"Well, Jubilee is unconscious, and Daria is all shook up. Apparently, we have another situation of multiple Mondo's. I have a very bad feeling about it. I know of only one person who pulled it off, but I'm hoping he's still dead."_

Emma knew who Jono was talking about, and Claudette's words hit him. _"Chamber, get someone up here. Once we have Cartier with the rest, some of us must go help Rich. He's in more danger than he realizes."_ She then looked at Cartier and said, "Hang in there, Cartier. We'll try to get you someplace to keep you alive." At least, she hoped they would.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Clarice**  
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Clarice stayed right by Rich as they headed down the hall. She knew the reason she was put in this world was to protect Richard and Yvette. She had known the Cale's in her timeline. She also knew of what happened to them. She glanced over at Rich and saw that he was tense. He was ready for any trouble that might arise. She then said, "Are you worried about Penance?" She watched as he nodded. He didn't want to speak right now, and she realized it might prompt an ambush now.

He held his hand up, and she stopped. He pointed straight ahead and said, "L-l-look." She glanced in the same direction and saw the large open room up ahead. It was their goal. She could even see Penance in the room.

She noticed he was about to step forward when his sword flamed up. When he glanced at it, she just said, "Not a good sign." Soon, there was a large figure coming from the door way. She got in front of Rich and just said, "Who are you?"

The figure was armored, and that told her this might not be a fight she could win by strength. The figure had a grin across part of it's face, at least the part she could see. It then just said, "I'm the Juggernaut, and you can't stop me."

She edged close to a wall and quietly said, "I have a plan Skitz. You run through the shadows. I'll take care of big and ugly." She noticed he nodded and tensed up to become a living shadow. She quickly moved away from the wall and looked at the giant in front of her. "You want to stop me, you have to catch me."

She watched as the figure just said, "You're gonna regret saying that. I'll flatten you, then the Cale boy." Soon the figure started to charge at her. She had to time this right. If anything was timed wrong, she could get hurt, or worse.

When he was almost upon her, she jumped up and said, "Enjoy your trip." With that, she through one of her bolts at Juggernaut. When it hit him, he blinked out of sight, where to she didn't know. She was sure that it was still the same planet. When she landed back on the ground, she looked at the door to see Rich was at Yvette. She started running towards the door when she noticed Yvette said something to Rich. Just at that time, the door to the room slammed shut. She realized it then that it was a trap, and Rich had literally walked into it.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IX. Rich**  
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Rich entered the room still as tense as ever. He wasn't sure if it was safe, but he had to get to Yvette. He slowly untensed as he got closer to her. He could tell by the look on her face that she was happy to see him, but worried. He couldn't hear her mind link, and then noticed the collar. It must have been hindering her powers. He could only think how sick Claudette was. First kidnapping Yvette, and then hiring Juggernaut. It was unnerving. What made it worse was that she was tied up. Rich walked over to her and said, "Don't worry love, I'll have you untied in a moment." He heard her try and say something through her gag, and that made him worry more.

He quickly got the gag undone, and she said, "Skitz, it's a trap." Just then he heard the door slam shut. He spun around and in the shadows he saw a figure near the door.

He stood in a protective and defensive stance. He was ready to protect Yvette, especially from Claudette. He faced the figure and said, "I'm on to you, Claudette. I'm not letting you win."

He watched as the figure was holding something. He thought it was staff, until the figure pointed it at him. He watched as what appeared to be an energy attack shot at him and sent him flying. When he landed, he heard a familiar voice say, "Not Claudette, lad, but ye might wish it was."

Rich was almost in shock, but saw the second blast coming and rolled out of the way. He couldn't believe what he just heard, but what he was seeing made him believe it. The figure wasn't holding a staff, but a sheleighle. He just said, "I don't believe it."

The figure stepped into a small patch of light, and Rich now knew it was no joke. "Aye lad, believe it, because it's payback from yur old pal, Black Tom." Rich was very worried now. He was also relieved that Black Tom was still alive, but scared because Black Tom was still alive.


	83. A Hollow Victory

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Win Some, Lose Some

A Hollow Victory

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Mondo**  
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Mondo paced the room as he waited. When the others left on the mission, it was decided that two people would take turns guarding the girls until the others returned. Right now, it had been Darrett's and Gabe's turn, but that didn't have Mondo worried. He was worried about Daria. They had been a couple for a while now, and he worried alot about her. Normally, he never let it show, but it was times like these when it was evident. The only person not given the task of guarding the girls was Dr. McCoy, but he did want to look at the Cerebro unit that the school had. As he paced, he heard Sean say, "Worried about Daria, lad?"

He nodded and said, "I wish we could contact them." He knew that would be out of the question since it would ruin the element of surprise that they were going for. However, he had to admit something felt odd to him, but he couldn't place what it was. He just said, "I just have a bad feeling that something is going to go wrong."

He then head Paige say, "I wish I could contact Jono as well Mondo, but we can't think that the worst has happened right now."

He then heard Angelo say, "Besides, Claudette and her crew made the mistake of kidnapping Yvette. We've seen what Rich does in that case."

He was about to agrue that one, since one time he was unconscious, when he noticed something entering the room. It was a purple mist. He knew right away what was happening, and quickly forgot his worry for Daria. He just said, "Sean, I think the attack is starting."

He saw Sean nodded and say, "Everyone get ready." Soon, the front door smashed open, and Mondo saw the rest of Emplate's hellions. As Vincente reformed, Mondo saw Bulwark, D.O.A, and Murmur enter. It was going to be a one on one battle by the looks of it. Before any of the fighting could start, he realized something. Although Emplate's minions were there, Emplate wasn't. Mondo quickly morphed into the floor as Vincente took a swipe at him, and said, "Banshee, I think we have a problem."

He saw that Husk had taken an steel-like form and went up against Bulwark. and Skin had Murmur all tangled up. He heard Sean through the sonic screams his was launching and D.O.A, "Why do ye say that, lad?"

Mondo continued his battle with Vincente as he said, "Emplate isn't part of this group." He couldn't look to see how anyone reacted to it.

He then heard Angelo say, "That means it is going to be Gabe and Darrett vs Emplate and Aura. If they can fend off those two, the girls will be ok." It sounds alright, but Mondo could not shake that feeling of dread. He couldn't help but think that Emplate had an ace up his sleeve.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett stood at the door to the room all the girls were placed in. Closest he could figure, he had the most boring of all the tasks. At least he hoped it would be boring, but he had a bad feeling in his gut. It was only magnified when he heard Gabe say, "What was that?" He had also heard something, like a door breaking.

He then said, "I think Emplate has finally decided to attack. Maybe one of the girls managed to contact him." The thought sickened him, but the only reason he could see such treason was if they thought they were saving their own lives.

He then hear Gabe say, "Listen, I don't know much about what Cartier's son looks like now, but I know he's forced to a respirator." Darrett just nodded and Gabe said, "And it would cover most of his face, right?"

He knew where Gabe was going with his questions before he could answer the next one. Emplate had already entered this building because what was happening over at the main building was a distraction. He slowly turned and said, "Where is he, Gabe." He watched as Gabe pointed and faced the direction.

That's when he almost lost it. He did see Emplate and Aura, but Aura had gained weight. Also, he saw Freeze Frame. He wondered if this was all part of Claudette's plan, until Emplate said, "Well, well, well. Two of you versus three of us. Odds don't seem right, do they? Now, I think it would be wise for both of you to move aside. The girls will be more use to me, especially now."

It was then Darrett reallized the full extent of Aura's state. He was filled with disgust and revoltion. He was started to run forward in rage when he hit a wall. He then saw Aura's hand was up. She just said, "Sorry, but we will be having some little mouths to feed."

Soon, he felt like he was moving backwards, and he heard Gabe say, "What's happening?" Gabe probably had no idea of Aura's powers, and Darrett didn't know how much time he had to explain them to him.

He started to say, "It's Aura's power. She can control her aura so she can..." The words stopped when he lost his breath. They were both pushed against a wall, and having the wind knocked out of them. He started feeling light headed and realized that they had failed to protect the girls.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Emplate**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emplate watched as Darrett and his father's friend collapsed to the floor when Elane released them. The two were unconscious, and now all they need to do was collect the four girls. He turned to Freeze Frame and said, "You are ready, are you not?" When the boy nodded, Emplate said, "I know you can have your power include more than on person, but it will not last as long as it usually does, but it will be long enough. Once we have the girls, the others will leave. There is no room for foul ups now."

He watched as Freeze Frame nodded again and said "I understand, sir. I also know that my reward will be the girl who helped you. I won't fail you, sir."

Emplate liked the power he had over Freeze Frame. He had been a lackey of his sister's, but he failed her and this was his fate. He told the boy if he failed him, he was lunch. A simple, but very effective threat. He then heard Elane say, "Ok, they are out. Let's get the ladies."

Emplate than kicked openned the door. He saw all the ladies cowering in the corner. He entered with Freeze Frame just behind him, and Elane stayed near the door. He slowly approached the girls and said, "Now ladies, I think you know what I'm here for." He could see the fright in their eyes, all except the girl named Britney's eyes. She thought she could save the others.

He watched as Britney pushed the mutant girl, Christina forward and said, "Here she is, just like I promised. Now let the rest of us be, like you said. You said you only need mutants." He saw the shock on all the girls' faces, especially Christina.

He heard Christina say, "I should have known you'd do this." He had to enjoy the fact that he was about to shatter the other girl's hope.

He just moved forward, with Freeze Frame still at his side and said, "You shouldn't be upset with her. She was only doing what she thought would save her friends. She's right that I only need mutants, but I know that your abililty turns normal girls into mutant girls. It's that simple. By enhancing their figures, they become mutants. You'll give me an endless supply of mutants to feed on, starting with your three friends. However Britney will have a special fate. She will belong to my newest minion here, Freeze Frame." A new look of horror crossed everyone's eyes, but more so in Britney. Before they could scream in horror, he said, "Now Freeze Frame."

With that, they were frozen, and he heard Aura say, "Ok, shall we go?" He nodded and she said, "Direct me to the new hideout, my love, and we shall have a little fun."

He smiled inwardly and pulled all of them into the beyond, with her to protect them. As they moved, he just said, "When we reach the new hideout, in time, I will be a new man, with more power, but the same Emplate." He saw the smile on her face. He had told her what would happen if Claudette managed to kill their father. It would mean more troubles for Generation X, and maybe even the world.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette watched as the fight between Rich and Black Tom continued. She was afraid for Rich. She had watched as Black Tom fired shot after shot at Rich, and Rich kept deflecting them with his sword. As the fight continued, she heard Rich say, "How can you still be alive?"

She watched as Black Tom continued to blast at him and said, "Lad, ye only killed me clone, just like your buddies stopped my second clone of Mondo. It was ashame to have the first one go soft, and I worked on toughing up the second clone, as well as the real one."

That explained the Mondo that grabbed her. Of course this meant that they would have to explain it to their Mondo, but that could wait until the got back. She heard Rich say then, "You mean to tell us that the Mondo we have at our school is a clone."

Another blast for Tom almost sent Rich flying as she heard him exclaim, "Aye lad, I can do alot with clones. If I wanted to, I could clone ye, and take all yur money. Of course, I'd have to kill ye first." With that, Yvette saw a blast knock Rich off his feet and send him flying to the floor.

When Rich hit the floor, she heard something hit the ground near him. She looked over to see his glasses. She just heard him say, "I can't see." She was more scared now then before, and puzzled. Did he still need his glasses to see? Was Dr. McCoy wrong? Did Rich still need his glasses? She watched as he looked for them, and saw Black Tom getting closer. Tom was moving in for the death strike. Then she noticed it, Rich was searching for his glasses, but never touched them, even though his had was near them a coulpe of times. He was acting like he couldn't see at all. It was all an act, and Black Tom was walking right into a trick.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Black Tom**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Black Tom walked over to the form of Richard Cale. Without glasses, the boy couldn't see, and was most vulnerable. In his mind, this was the best way to do the deathstrike. When the boy was helpless. It was basically what the lad did to him. He smiled and said, "Time for ye to die, Richard. Give me regards to me clone."

He was stunned when Richard said, "It's not my time to go yet, Tom." He was more startled when the boy swung his sword and sliced his sheleighle in half. Tom realized it wasn't luck that did that, especially as the boy planted a kick on him that sent him flying.

Tom got up from the kick and saw the boy was now standing. He was stunned, and realized that he had been had. "Ye never need the glasses in the first place, did ye?" When the boy shook his head, Tom then said, "Ye were playing me for a fool?"

The boy started to advance, and Tom saw that one hand was now a claw. "Couldn't play you for an intellegent being." Tom started to back up and glanced over at the one spot in the room. He had told Mondo that if there was a problem, to be there. Indeed there was the sign that the boy had made it to the spot.

Tom started to move towards the spot, and said, "Ye should have put more thought into yur plan, lad. Ye should have known that I would be prepared if things went sour." With that, he through his sheleighle at the boy, and bolted for the spot.

He glanced back to see the boy move towards him and bat the staff downward. He smiled as the staff tripped the lad up. When the boy hit the floor, he heard the lad say, "Don't think I'll let you get away."

He smiled and looked over at the lad when he reached the spot. "It's not like ye can turn me in, lad. The world knows I'm dead, or would ye care to explain that we are both mutants. Maybe another day, we will meet again. Mondo, get me out of here." He saw the shock on the boy's face as the ground around him appeared to form a protective barrier. Now he was safe, and might have to plan for the next attack he would make, but maybe not against this Richard Cale. Not now, but maybe later.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich was still in shock as Tom sank out of sight. However, Tom did have a point. Due to what happen months ago, the world had accepted that Black Tom Cassidy was dead. Rich did have to admit that it explain the Juggernaut appearence. He then remember that Yvette was still tied up. He ran over to her and started to untie her. As he did so, he just said, "I'm sorry that all this happened to you."

He could tell Yvette was looking at him when she said, "It's alright now. Now, I'm just worried about Cartier. Did he come with you here?"

He could hear the concern when she asked the question. She knew something, but still couldn't tell him. He looked her in the eyes as he continued to untie her and said, "Yes, he did. Is he in trouble?"

He was almost startled when she said, "Claudette is planning to kill him, and you know what that would mean." He did know what that meant. Emplate would be a more dangerous foe than he was now.

When he finally got the last of the bindings off her, he removed the collar and said, "We have to get to the others, and warn them of Claudette's plan."

He almost frozen when Yvette said, _"There's more. I think Claudette is going to try and seperate herself from Monet. She managed to get a clone of herself from Black Tom."_

He looked at her and he knew she saw the worry in his eyes. _"You mean to say that Claudette plans to make her and Monet seperate, yet equal."_ He watched as Yvette nodded. This was definately not a good thing. Cartier had come along in hopes of defeating Claudette and regaining Monet. It made their situation all the more dangerous. He then said aloud, "We have to get out of the room, and back to the others."

When they reached the door and openned it, Rich saw Clarice standing there, saying, "Skitz, something's wrong. Emma just said we have people down." Rich had a feeling he knew who was down. He and Yvette followed Clarice down the hall to the room they had entered from. He wasn't surprised to see Cartier on the floor, mortally wounded, but he was surprised to see Daria extremely shook up, and Jubilee unconscious.

He walked over to Emma, who stayed near Cartier and said, "What happened," even though he had a good idea.

He was almost startled to hear Cartier say, "Claudette ambushed us. Stabbed me from behind."

Rich took Cartier's hand and said, "Stay strong. We'll try and get you taken care of at the school." He was almost crestfallen when Cartier shook his head. Cartier knew it would be pointless. Rich knew it would be pointless, too. He could tell that Cartier might not even make it back to the school. He just said, "We have to hurry. What happened to Daria and Jubilee?"

He then heard Jono say _"Apparently, we had another evil Mondo incident, and I think that means Black Tom might still be alive?"_

Rich just nodded and said, "Still be it isn't. 'Is' is correct. Luckily, we have the good one at the school. Let me guess on Jubilee, Q.T. got her." He watched as Everett nodded and then said, "Ok everyone, we need to get out of here. I want to see if we can help Cartier if we can." However, Rich felt that was only wishful thinking.

As they left the hideout, he heard Yvette say, _"Your nightmare was about this, wasn't it?"_ He nodded and he hoped that the rest of it, that he could remember, wouldn't come true.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Sean**  
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Sean was almost in shock when Gabe said that the girls were gone. Emplate had executed a perfect attack, something he would not have been able to do if the rest were here. He just shook his head in disbelief and said, "Alright, what had happened when Emplate's minions attacked us." He really didn't want to know, but he knew Rich would want to know.

He waited as Gabe composed himself and said, "Well, Darrett and I were guarding the door, like you had suggest, and then Emplate, Elane, and a third person appeared."

The third person made Sean feel like something already tipped the scale in Emplate's favor. He just said, "Who was this third person?"

He was shocked when Darrett said the answer. "It was Freeze Frame. I guess Claudette gave him to Emplate since she didn't have Rich to give to Emplate."

Sean shook his head in disgust. This was not a good thing. Sean then said, "So the three of them knocked the both of ye out and took the girls. Rich is not going to be happy. He's going to have to explain to the parents why the girls are gone."

He was stunned to hear Darrett say, "It gets worse."

Before Sean could answer the question, he heard someone say, "What gets worse?" He turned to see that it was Emma as she and Rich were carrying Cartier St. Croix in what was left of the door. "Don't tell me Emplate attacked?"

Sean just nodded and said, "Yes he did, and he took all the girls." He saw the crestfallen look on Rich's face. He knew that Rich must have felt like a terrible failure at that point.

Rich then said, "Why would he take all the girls, and where is Dr. McCoy? We need him here."

Almost on cue, Sean saw Hank show up, and say, "I heard Emma call, don't worry. As to answer the question about the others, I checked the Cerebro unit, and apparently Chris's powers didn't just improve their looks, but made them mutants while she was near them."

He saw Rich's face as the conclusion hit him. "That means Emplate will keep Chris alive, but sup on the others. Dr. McCoy, what about Cartier?"

He watched as Dr. McCoy approach Cartier, and Sean finally noticed that Cartier was not moving, and had been covered in blood. Sean had a grim feeling, and it was confirmed when Hank just shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Richard, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do." Cartier had been killed on this mission.

Sean just looked at Rich and said, "Lad, what happened?"

He then saw that Everett was carring Jubilee in, and Jono and Yvette was trying to comfort Daria. Rich just said, "Claudette wasn't alone. Q.T. knocked out Jubilee, but Everett managed to prevent the same fate. Claudette and Golden ambushed Emma and Cartier, the result of that was Cartier's death. Claudette had a partner, and I'm sorry to say that it was your cousin, being alive and well." Sean felt like he had been hit by a ton of bricks on that one, and Rich continued. "He had a version of Mondo there, and he did a number on Daria. Daria is still shook up, but we are getting her calm. Juggernaut almost flatten Clarice and myself, but Clarice kept him busy, while I had to face Black Tom. And to add to the disaster, now that Cartier's dead, Emplate will be gaining alot more power, which will make him a more dangerous advesary."

Sean then said, "Well lad, let's hope that this is the worst of it. Darrett said something, but I don't think it can make this feel any worse than it is." He looked over at Darrett and hoped he was right.

He watched as the boy had a blank expression on his face as he said the most devestating words any of them would ever hear. "Elane's pregnant." He turned and saw that Rich and Yvette had fainted dead away, while most of the others were in more shock than they had been. Darrett then said, "That about how I felt when I noticed it." Sean realized that just that shock alone could have caught them off guard. Now everyone had to hope that Emplate's child would not be an Emplate as well.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Grimore**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

It had been a week since the disaster had happend, and Grimore just stayed at his masters' side as they stood at the door. He watched as Rich said, "Thanks for staying longer than you needed to, Gabe. Have a safe trip back."

He heard the man say, "I will try to, and you take care of yourself as well. Alot will be resting on your shoulders now." Grimore knew what Gabe meant, but he couldn't bring himself to say it aloud. He watched as Gabe got into the van and Sean drove off.

They closed the door, and Rich and Yvette turned to head back to their place on the school grounds. Over the course of the difficult week, Rich had informed all the girls parent, telling them how all the events came to be. He stayed by their side and said, "This is not your fault, sir. You were not to know about what Marius had done, and how Marius had tricked the girls."

He watched as Yvette just said, "Grimore's right, my love. You couldn't have know about him having Freeze Frame with him."

He then said, "I should have expected that Elane would have ended up pregnant. But what will happen when Marius gets Cartier's powers."

Grimore knew that Rich wouldn't like hearing the next part. "Most likely, Marius will no longer look like he does. He will no longer fear being pulled into the beyond. He will have magical abilities that he will not use for good."

Rich then said, "And with Christina in his clutches, he will be capturing normal girls now." He saw the regret on Rich's eyes. They spoke much, and he could see that Yvette now felt regret about it all.

Grimore just said, "It was bad timing that everything happened like this, sir. You got into a no win situation. Either way, you would have lost, and you did what you thought you could to prevent that. No one will fault you for that."

Rich just shook his head and said, "No one but myself."

Grimore then watched as Yvette had picked up a letter and said, "Dear, I think this might be important. It's from England."

Grimore watched as Rich openned it and read it. "It's from Her Majesty. She said that due to events and that England is realizing how mutants should be equal. She wants the Paladin to return to England as an official advisor."

Grimore looked at him and said, "How do you plan to reply?" He could see the two both think about it. If Richard accepted the post, it would mean they would have to leave the school to stay in England. What would they decide on? Grimore decided that right now, it would be best if they had some time alone to think about it. Maybe they would accept, and if they did, what would happen to the team they were a part of?


	84. A New Foe Manipulated

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Iron X

A New Foe Manipulated

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Bob**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"No, I don't think it's appropriate!" Bob Bonega yelled into the phone, "I'm not going to compromise my integrity just to... No, I don't think that's necessary." Bonega sighed, now he was in a bad position. As a political advisor, Bob had a lot of skeletons in his closet... a lot of skeletons. And now it seemed this Miss Frost had found one of the more condemning ones. "Okay, fine, I'll see what I can do... No, look that's all I can promise right now... look, I'll keep you informed. Now what's the target's name?" Bob pulled out a note pad and wrote down the name 'Richard Cale'. "Okay, Miss Frost, you'll receive a call in the next few days."

Bob hung up the phone, ran his hands through his bleached blonde hair, that instead made it look white, and sighed. "This can't be happening." He told himself. But deep down inside Bob knew he had no power over this. Bob's mutant powers were to predict the future, sure, but it was a different kind of prediction. Bob could foresee trends and patterns several years into the future... something that got him very far in the political business. But this was different... this was a mistake in his past... something he thought he'd covered up. Well, apparently this Miss Frost had found out about his sorted past, but strangely enough she only wanted one thing. Bob didn't know who this Richard Cale was and he didn't care, if this bought him the sort of security he wanted in this job, getting rid of Richard Cale would be no problem.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Canon**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Canon watched from the window of his office building. Off in the distance he could see the flames rising around the capitol. "A National Disaster" some papers would read, others would call it liberation. In either case it was all a part of Canon's plan, those in power of this small Russian country wanted any mutants living in it's borders to be treated as political criminals. Now any of those who were in power would be hunted down as traitors themselves.

"Should we do something?" one of Canon's aides said as he approached.

"No." Canon replied, "We've done enough." He turned and walked down the hallway, "Let them burn."

"The helicopters are waiting." The aide informed him, "We should be going."

"Hmm." Canon sniffed, "What's next on the agenda?"

"You're touring Japan on behalf of the French government." The aide replied, "It's a goodwill gesture."

"And while I vacation the world continues to massacre the mutant population." Canon frowned, "Still I suppose some PR is in order if we are to continue our work." Canon stepped up the stairway to the helipad.

"Sir an urgent phone call from Mr. Bonega." Another aide said handing Canon a phone. Canon took the phone without a word, Bob Bonega was his closest associate, the best in the political business, and Canon trusted his insight more than anyone's.

"Bob." Canon spoke into the receiver.

"Sir," Bonega's voice came over the phone, he seemed nervous, "We have a small problem."

"Hmm?"

"I've received information on a covert mutant terrorist. We're talking a mission of genocide here. I'm having most of the detail's sent to your private e-mail sir." There was a short pause, "Just be advised, it seems this may be on the same level as Apocalypse or Magneto." The receiver clicked as Bob hung up. Canon handed the phone back to his aide and stepped onto the helicopter.

"Is there a problem sir?" came a voice from the cockpit.

"As if our work wasn't hard enough, we have another mutant working against our cause. Forced or not, mutant peace is impossible with all these genocidal maniacs working towards their own goals of global domination.

"What's the name of this one?" the voice came again as Canon turned on a monitor in the cabin of the large helicopter.

He read over the information displayed on the screen, "Richard Cale." Canon responded. He sat back with his hand on his chin. Already a plan was forming.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Richard Cale sat at his desk in the office he had at the school. It was a Sunday night, but it was not a typical Sunday. Right now, he was dealing with the Japan branch of Paladin Technologies, the company he owned. He just held his head in his hand and said, "Ok, Mr. Otonashi, please tell me again what had happened, and slow down. It may be morning for you over there, but it is night time for us here." It was a vid phone call, and Rich was sure the person on the other end knew how frustrated he

looked.

The Japenese man on the other end said, "As I said before, Mr. Cale, as per your fathers original wishes, which you have tried to fulfill, I suggested to the French that we meet with their Goodwill Ambassador. At first, all seemed well, but then, according to the French, the Ambassador said he would not be able to meet." Rich just let out a heavy sigh. He then heard Mr. Otonashi say, "I'm sorry if I have dishonored you, sir."

Rich just waved his hand and said, "No, you haven't. You just don't know how much burden I'm under. Tell you what, give it another run at getting in touch with this Ambassador. I think the French government would appreciate the revenue, and hopefully, it will even increase relations between England and France." Rich then sighed. He didn't know how his father managed to do all this, and then realized that his father wasn't a mutant. Rich then said, "Just do what you can. It's all I can ask right now." Rich watched as the man nodded and ended the call. Rich then sighed again. "If I would have know how difficult this would be, I would have let Godiva run the company."

He was startled when he heard Emma say, "I take it that the pressures of business is getting to you." Rich looked over at his teacher/business partner, and nodded. He then heard her say, "So what has you upset right now?"

Rich sat back into his chair and sighed. "Before my father died, he had been working on setting up branches of the company globally. In fact, the task was half done when he was killed. Now I'm trying to complete it, and the French Ambassador that was supposed to help, has mysteriously stopped communicating with my company. He was supposed to even meet with the branch in Tokyo, but he sent word that he could not."

He listened as Emma just asked, "Do you know what his name is?"

Rich shuffled through the papers on his desk. He had remembered receiving that info from the French Government. As he was searching for the paper, he heard his phone ring. He didn't know what this call would be about, and part of him didn't want to know. Eventually, he did find the sheet and handed it over to Emma. "It says that his name is Jean Leveque. Read it if you want, I need to answer this phone." He then picked up the phone and said, "Yes, Richard Cale speaking."

The voice on the other end of the line spoke, "Sir, it's me, David Richmer. You remember you helped me start my restaurant." Rich did remember that. It had also been David that had cooked for them about two months ago. Rich still couldn't believe it. Two months since the death of Cartier St. Croix. He was almost engulfed by the feelings of dread that event caused when the chef said, "Sir, I have excellent news." Rich shook his head and finally said, "What's the good news, David? God knows that after some of the events that have happened, I could use it."

Rich almost dropped the phone when David made his next statement. "Sir, I have been invited by Masiharu Morimoto to be on Iron Chef. He heard of my skill, came to the Restaurant and invited me on. He said I could bring my own cheering section, and I was hoping you would come and enter the show with me."

Once he regained himself, Rich just said, "You mean we are invited to a taping of Iron Chef. I think I can get a cheering section ready. When must you leave?"

He was almost stunned to hear the chef say, "Later tomorrow. When Morimoto told the people at the show about my skill, this became a big event over there. Probably because of what happened when Bobby Flay was over there."

Rich just nodded and said, "I understand. I'll see if anyone will be willing to part with American soil for a while. See you at Logan Airport. We'll all fly first class in one of the company jets." He hung up the phone and looked at Emma and smiled. "I think the kids will be getting a road trip."

He noticed the look Emma had, and could tell that maybe she had something planned along those lines. She then said, "It looks like all three of the headmasters will be away." Now he had to find out what she meant by that.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Emma**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emma just watched the puzzled look that crossed Rich's face after what she had said. She knew he had no way of knowing that she was supposed to head to meet with one of the various groups that supported mutant rights. She had planned on taking some, if not all, of the students. She didn't know if Rich and Yvette would go, but with this now happening, it meant a rethink. She then said, "One of the groups that Xavier started is still running. I was asked to visit them. And Sean took Paige and Jono to the X-Men. Apparently the two have potential to be X-Men."

She watched as Rich stood up and said, "More power to them. I don't know if I could handle being an X-Men. That and I'm still debating over a letter a receive the week after Cartier's death."

Emma remembered seeing a letter for Richard around that week. She had also noticed that it was marked with the Royal Seal of England. She just nodded her head and said, "Possibly going to England?" She watched as Rich nodded. "It would be a big change. However, I think you are the kind of person, Richard, that would welcome the task. It has been your true birthright, not that of businessman. Godiva is more business minded."

She watched as Rich nodded in agreement and said, "I am seriously considering the offer from England, but I'd make sure Godiva has control of the company, as well as setting up some provisions for the others." She watched as he then glanced at the papers he had handed her. "Any clue on the ambassador?"

She just shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, I've never really heard of him. If I could tell you more, I would. Now the big question is how do we split up the rest of the group. I don't totally trust all of them to be alone." She did trust some of them, but there were others she didn't totally trust, but part of that was because of strong thoughts in the minds of some of the students, and with hormonal factors included, Emma couldn't block them out. She then looked over at Rich and said, "So how do you propose we do this?"

She noticed Rich was smiling as he said his next words. "Maybe we should ask the rest. They are watching Iron Chef right now, and Yvette has told me that it is the Morimoto/Flay rematch. That had been a good battle."

Emma looked at Richard Cale and said, "Did you see that one?" When he nodded, she just said, "So you two know the outcome, and I have a feeling someone is going to make a mistake about that." When she saw the grin pass on Richard's face again, she knew she was right, and given the last time Rich made a bet like that, she had a feeling Angelo might be duped again.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Angelo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Angelo watched, with the others, the battle that had captivated them all. It was a rematch on the popular show, Iron Chef. The battle was between the Iron Chef Japanese, Masiraru Morimoto, and an American chef named Bobby Flay. He had heard of the previous battle, and now he wanted to see the outcome of the rematch, but he had a feeling who would win. As they watched the tasting portion of the match, Angelo was certain that Iron Chef Morimoto was going to win. Before he could say anything, he heard Jubilee say, "Flay has this one in the bag."

He looked over at Jubilee, who was cuddling close to Everett, and said, "I don't think so, chica. This one is Morimoto all the way."

He then heard Darrett say, "I don't understand what this show is about. We never had anything like it where I came from." Angelo looked over to see Clarice nodding in agreement. He also noticed that the two were very close to one another, like they were in each others laps. Angelo envied most of the team. Almost everyone on the team had someone. Clarice had Darrett, Jubilee had Everett, Daria had Mondo, and Yvette, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, was married to Rich. Angelo felt a bit left out. He was the only one of them that didn't have someone. Even Jono and Paige seemed to have been together, even though both were at the X-Mansion.

He then heard Yvette say, "The idea of the show is simple Darrett. Chef's from all over the world go to Japan to challenge one of the Iron Chefs. They make dishes using a theme ingredient. Then the dishes are judged and the panel picks the winner. Plus, all the dishes are original. And since they have one hour to cook, it's a challenge. Rich and I usually watch this on Friday and Saturday nights."

He then heard Daria say, "So who do you think will win this one? Flay or Morimoto?"

Angelo had a good feeling about this, and said, "I'd bet that Morimoto is going to win. Look at what he came up with." He heard some of the others agree.

Angelo was almost surprised when he heard Rich say, "A bet. You want to bet on the outcome? I think I have a bet for you, Angelo. If you are right, you can go with me and Yvette to see the show." He was almost in shock, as was everyone else. Rich and Emma had walked in, and Rich just continued. "If you remember the chef I had come in two months ago, he was just invited by Morimoto to be on Iron Chef. He wants myself and Yvette there, and a small cheering section."

Angelo looked supiciously at Rich and said, "What do I get if I'm wrong?"

He then heard Emma say, "Then you go with those of us who are going to the West Coast to visit one of the mutant support organizations."

Angelo thought it over for a moment. Frankly, he'd like to see the show, and he had no way of losing. It appeared that Morimoto was going to win. He took Rich's hand and shook it. "You have a bet, Rich. And I prefer a window seat." He then noticed that Rich hadn't let go, but just smiled. Angelo quickly had a flashback to when they had all gone to Easton. That's when he heard the television.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Jubilee**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jubilee almost laughed aloud when the announcer on the show said that Bobby Flay had won. It was almost as priceless as the last bet Rich made with Angelo, but now the big question was how. How did Rich know the outcome? Then she glanced over at Penny, she could tell that Penny was trying to keep from laughing, but Jubilee could tell. She then heard Angelo say, "How did you know? You weren't even here the whole time."

Before Jubilee could say anything, she heard Everett say, "I think Yvette was keeping him clued in. Rich just probably lucked out in guessing, Angelo."

Jubilee couldn't keep quiet much longer. She could see that Penny was straining to keep a straight face. She just smiled and said, "No, Ev, they knew who was going to win. Rich just suckered Angelo again. If you don't believe me, look at Penny. She's about to bust a gut from trying not to laugh."

It was at that moment Penny started to laugh. Penny had been joined in by Rich, and Angelo was fooled again. She then heard Penny say, "She's right, Angelo. Rich and I saw that episode a while back. Looks like you are going with Emma."

It was then that Emma looked at everyone and said, "True, and we have to think who is going with who. I don't want any of you to be left alone here." Jubilee could understand what Emma was getting at. She had noticed that Darrett and Clarice had been spending alot of time together, and recently, she accidently walked into one of their passionate kissing sessions. Although she and Everett had kissed, their hands never went where Darrett and Clarice's hands had gone. Although some might not think so, Jubilee prefered just to cuddle.

She was almost startled by how fast Clarice said, "Darrett and I can go along. I do have to protect Rich." Everyone knew the timeline Clarice came from and everyone knew that because of that timeline, she made it her personal mission to protect Rich. That also meant that she would drag Darrett along.

Jubilee then said, "I'd like to go too. I've been to Japan, and you may need someone who has been there."

She watched as Rich nodded and said, "Ok, we have 5 in total, I just need one more. The rest can go with Emma." She gave a quick glance to Everett and waited. She knew he would pick up on the cue that she wanted him to join her.

Just as she glanced at him, Jubilee heard Everett say, "If Jubilee is going, I'm going." That made her feel better about the trip.

She watched as Penny got up and went over to Rich's side and said, "Then, you better go pack, we have to leave tomorrow." Jubilee watched as almost everyone bolted out of their seats and headed out. She still hung on to Everett, as Penny held Rich. Soon enough, the two turned to leave.

As she watched Penny and Rich walk out of the room, she heard Everett say, "Do you think they will behave much?"

Jubilee turned and looked at Everett and said, "Who, Clarice and Darrett, or Penny and Rich?" Jubilee felt Everett hold her tighter when she said that. It was obvious who he was referring to, but she had to make it seem like it wasn't.

As they started heading to the dorms, she heard Everett say, "I worry about those two. I think that Clarice is going to end up pregnant before too long. They both still live for the day."

Jubilee nodded and said, "You may be right. I wouldn't be surprised if those two have done it. They do come from worlds where it's a disaster area. I think it's hard to forget that. Maybe when we get there, I should stay with Clarice, and you with Darrett."

She watched as he nodded and said, "I hope it helps them. Now let's go pack. We might have to leave early tomorrow." She nodded and followed him back to the dorms. Maybe they could hold each other abit before they had to leave. In fact, Jubilee hoped they could do that.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette walked down to the apartment alongside her husband. She had her hand at his back, rubbing it gently. It was one of her favorite things to do. As they continued down to the apartment, Rich just said, "Are you excited about going to Japan?"

She rubbed his back some more and said, "Very. Are we going to stay at the company building down there? And does it have more than one apartment to stay in?" She had hoped he would say yes so that they could have some quality time alone.

She was almost thrilled when he said, "Yes, but we will only use one of the apartments. We do have to keep an eye on the others." The fact that the others would need them as chaperones did not set well with her. Yvette was hoping that they could have some time alone.

When they finally reached their apartment, Yvette said, "Hun, you know Emma has been helping me with my psychic abilities." She watched as he nodded and she then said, "Well, I was thinking that I could keep an eye on them psychicly until then went to sleep."

As they entered the room, she watched as he thought about it for a moment and finally said, "We'll see. I just hope you have enough control over your psychic abilities to prevent any empathic effects. Now you better start packing, while I call the company in Tokyo."

She watched as he headed over to his phone as she headed in the bedroom. She quickly pulled out two suitcases and placed them on the bed. She then started to go through the closet to find their best looking dress outfits, since they were going to be on a show. She pulled out a nice regal looking suit for Rich, and then her nicest blue dress for herself. As she packed some more of the clothing, she heard Grimore say, "Is there a trip in the works, m'lady?"

Yvette looked over at the cat and nodded. "Yes, Grimore. We are heading to Japan. I think you might have to go along, since no one will be here for a couple of days."

She watched as Grimore just laid flat on the bed. If a cat could pout, Yvette could swear that Grimore was doing so. "I suppose that means I'll be in that carrycase again. I'm not too fond of that, but if I must." She could tell that Grimore was not thrilled with the info.

Yvette then went over to the dresser and started getting more clothing out, mostly night attire. As she was packing, she came across the item she had Rich buy for her. She started thinking about packing it. It would make the trip seem like a second honeymoon. She was almost lost in that thought when she felt someone grab her from behind and said, "What are you up to?"

She turned and smiled at her husband, still holding the item. She knew he knew what she was thinking, but decided to play innocent. "I'm not up to anything. I'm just packing things up for us."

She watched as he grabbed the item and said, "And planning some fun for on the trip, weren't you?"

She giggled and just said, "Maybe. I think if we can, we should take the chance for some fun." She then started to rub his chest. Yvette knew what buttons to press to make him give in. "Besides, you might enjoy a little fun on this trip."

Yvette watched as Rich smiled and finally said, "Alright, if we get the opportunity, we can have fun. Just remember, we are going to be taking care of four students."

She just smiled and nodded, "I know. Trust me, I will know if they are awake, and when the best time to have fun is." She then felt Rich hold her close and kiss her. _"I think you might want to have some fun now."_

She watched as Rich ended the kiss and said, "Not tonight, hun. We must finish packing and get to bed. We have a flight to catch, and we can't be late." She nodded in agreement. They didn't have much time, and she did need to hurry. Maybe on the plane, they might get some time alone. At least, she hoped they would, but they would also have fun in the apartment in Japan.


	85. A Quick Departure

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Iron X

A Quick Departure

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Canon**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The plane landed on the tarmac and slowed to a halt. The door to the plane openned and several men in suits stepped out. Behind them came a large blonde haired man wearing rose-colored sunglasses. Canon smiled at the crowd as he stepped down from the plane. Flashbulbs went off as he walked from the plane to a stretch limo awaiting him beyond the crowd of reporters and photographers. One of Canon's bodyguards opened the door to the limo and Canon waved one final time as he stepped inside. Instantly as the door closed Canon's smile faded, "A waste of time." Canon muttered, "The world crumbles around us in war and genocide, and I'm on vacation to support my home country's economic revenue." Canon turned to the large man at the other end of the limo. "This is one time I agree with your way of doing things, Equilibrium. We should be taking some action."

"I'm at the understanding that you have a task for my undertaking." The white haired giant replied, crouched over at the other end of the Limousine, his shoulders up against the roof of the car. Equilibrium grinned, "It must be something considerable, to require my vaunted physical ability."

Canon tossed a file over to Equilibrium, "This is the target, 'Richard Cale', another genocidal madman... but one with a corporate following. I need you to handle this one carefully."

Equilibrium picked up the file and thumbed through it, "Moderately young for a terrorist is he not?"

"Age isn't the issue." Canon replied, "Nor is his standing, or his entourage. Keep that in mind."

Equilibrium looked through the photographs, "This cannot be accurate, they're all merely children? Even this 'Richard Cale' could not be more than in his early twenties!" Equilibrium said in surprise.

Canon looked at his follower with one eyebrow raised, "So are you." He said coolly, "Does that make you any less dangerous?"

"Touché." Equilibrium replied. "Regardless of stature or age, the terrorist is vermin. And no powerful vermin yet have survived any limitless power such as mine."

"Spare me your gloating," Canon began, "If you had bothered to read the report you would have noticed the details." Canon sat foreword, "It is not an assassination mission, it is a kidnapping, and I want this to be just public enough for it to be in the press, but I can't be connected... so your mission is to hire the ninja group 'the Hand' and then contact a man named Kanagawa, he's mentioned in the report." Canon lowered his voice; "Cale is to make an appearance on the show 'Iron Chef'. And as that show is internationally televised I think that would make a nice statement to the rest of the mutant terrorists who think they are above any level of justice."

"Sir, I must protest, this is a complete travesty to my ability!" Equilibrium yelled, "I have an infinite amount of ability! Regardless of the target's following, I can handle this one personally."

"That's exactly why I want you to hire someone else, Equilibrium. Your lay-waste-to-several-square-miles style of solution would be, to put it extremely mildly, Bad Press. Furthermore, to restate my earlier point, I don't want any connection to this incident, is that understood?" hesitantly Equilibrium nodded.

Suddenly the fax machine in the limo sprang to life. Nonchalantly Canon reached over and took the page as it printed out. His brow furrowed, "Problems persist, I take it?" Equilibrium asked.

"Ill-considered timing, nothing more." Canon said as he fed the page through the paper shredder. Canon sat back and sighed, looking out the window. Equilibrium was a member of his EOC, an elite enforcement group consisting of seven... but there was supposed to be eight. The eighth member was out there, and along with his feral partner, hunting him down. Canon wasn't stupid, though; he kept tabs on this vengeful rebel through his large network of spies and other operatives... a simple feat for Canon's global influence... unfortunately, that vengeful rebel was here in Japan, so now Canon would have to keep his eyes open for possible attack. Canon's eyes floated over the crowd outside the limo; they were out there... probably closer than he thought.

Several yards away, a watchful pair of eyes followed the limousine as it continued down the street. Balam continued to watch until the limo drove out of sight; it was time to warn Kevin... Canon was here.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Balam**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

About an hour and two train connections later, Balam walked into the bar. Kevin sat at one end while a young Japanese man in a suit sat and talked with him. Kevin turned as Christy walked up to him and said, "I see you made a friend while I was away. What have you two been talking about?"

"Hell, I don't know." Kevin replied taking a sip of his beer, "I don't speak a word of Japanese."

Balam turned to the Japanese man, smiled and said "Konban wa." Kevin looked up at her in surprise.

Balam continued to talk to the man as Kevin looked on. Finally the man laughed. He stood up, bowed, and left the bar. Balam sat down as Kevin continued to stare at her, "I didn't know you knew Japanese."

"You never asked." Balam said smiling.

"So what's you tell him that had him laughing so hard?"

"He asked if you meant to dress like that..."

"And you said?"

"I said yes." Balam smiled.

"What's wrong with the way I dress?" Kevin said motioning to his Zebra stripe styled leather jacket and black bandana covering his head, "Jesse Ventura Dressed like this for years!

"I think that's the point he was trying to make." Balam replied. Kevin chuckled. After a few moments Balam's smile faded, "He's here in Japan."

"I know." Kevin said sipping his beer, "It was on TV."

"You're still going to go through with this?" Balam said, "He's going to kill you eventually?"

"He needs to be stopped."

Balam sighed. She knew Kevin was right, but Kevin still scared her with his reckless lifestyle. She was worried that he was taking on more than he could handle with Canon, and so far, Canon had proven her right. "There's something else." Balam added.

"Hmm?"

"There was a name I was able to make out, as I was reading lips through the window's of his car, Richard Cale." Balam looked at sequel in the eyes, "Does that name mean anything to you?"

Kevin thought for a moment, "No... it doesn't."

Balam sat back as Sequel finished off his beer and there was silence for a few moments, "Well, whoever he is, he must get around."

"Why's that?" Kevin asked.

Balam pointed up at the television in the corner of the Bar, "That commercial. It just said he's to appear on a show called 'Iron Chef'?" she said, "What is that?"

"I don't know. I think it's a game show, but I couldn't tell you..." Kevin said as he stood up and turned up the volume on the TV, "I'm a movie person."

"Well," Balam said as the commercial concluded.

Kevin turned to her, a smirk on his face, "I still can't speak Japanese." He said. He walked up to Balam and tugged on her arm, "Come on. We'll see if we can buy tickets for the show. I just hope I don't have to wear a suit."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. He knew he had to get up, but he didn't want to. He liked how he was now. He was in the arms of his beloved, Clarice. As he stirred slightly, he felt her hold him closer to her. That he didn't mind either. In fact, he wished he could lay with Clarice like this for the rest of time. The thought was interupted by a voice coming from the other side of the door. "Yo, Darrett, wake up. We need to be down in the main hall in about two hours."

He almost bolted up out of bed, but didn't. Last thing he wanted to do was alert anyone that Clarice was in the room. He glanced over at the chair they had thrown their tops on and thought how bad it would look if someone managed to open the door. He quietly woke Clarice and said, "Clarice, you need to head back to your room. Everett is at the door, and we don't want to get caught like this."

He watched as Clarice sat up and said, "Oh no. Do you think he knows I'm in here?" He noticed that she spoke softly. Honestly, he didn't know if Everett knew or not. He then heard her say, "Do you think he knows we are both here?"

He didn't know how to respond. He hadn't even told her the truth. He knew why Everett couldn't synch up with him. He wasn't even sure if any of the Generation X-er's knew. He then said, "I don't know, but you better blink back to your room quick." He watched as a portal formed, and she started to step through it. He then looked at the chair and said, "Don't forget your blouse and..."

Before he finished his thought, she stopped and turned and walked over to him. He felt her hug him as she quietly whispered, "Frankly, I'd rather not take the other item back, but I better would." He watched as she then picked them up and gave him a sly wink before blinking out of the room.

He then turned and shouted, "Just a moment, Everett. I need to finish getting dressed." To be honest, he needed to put something on so he didn't appear to be sleeping in the same outfit.

On the other side of the door, he heard Everett say, "Well, don't take long, we leave in less than two hours." That would be more than enough time, he was already packed, and he only needed to get dressed. He quickly pulled out an outfit from the closet and put it on. When he was finally dressed, he openned the door and was almost in shock. Everett just looked at him and said, "Looks like we were thinking the same."

Darrett just nodded and said, "Looks that way. How long have you been up?" He was also looking for Jubilee. Jubilee would not be far from Everett. He then continued with his questions, "And where is Jubilee?"

He watched as Everett took his suitcases and said, "She's going to get Clarice. We've been up for two hours now, and Emma told us to get you and Clarice. She has something for Clarice to use in Japan."

Darrett felt like his throat went dry when he heard that. He didn't know how long Jubilee was waiting at the door to Clarice's room, and why Emma wanted to see her. "Everett, what does Emma want to give her?"

As Everett left the room, he said, "Something about an imager to make her appear normal. I don't think there was anything else." Darrett hoped Everett was right. Last thing he wanted was a lecture about the time they were spending together. He then continued quietly down the hall to where all the kids were meeting.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Clarice**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Clarice arrived in her room and started to wonder how long she'd have to get into fresh clothes. She figured she wouldn't have long, since Everett was already looking for Darrett. She could only guess that someone was already looking for her. She went over to her closet and pulled out one of her favorite outfits. She liked it most since it was so much like her original outfit, yet it was two piece. Now all she had to do was get the outfit on before someone one knocked on her door. Clarice had just gotten the bottom of her outfit on when she heard the knock on her door. Before she could respond, she heard Jubilee shout, "Yo, Clarice, rise and shine. We have to get going soon."

Clarice looked in the direction of the door and said, "Ok, I'll be ready in a few minutes." She started to put her top on, and then it hit her. She had not locked the door. Clarice started to turn and say, "Jubilee, what ever you do, don't...."

It was too late. Jubilee had started to open the door, and just by her tone, Jubilee didn't know why the door was unlocked. "Clarice, how long have you been up, and why is..." It was then their eyes locked. Clarice saw Jubilee blush and spin around and said, "You could have warned me that you were getting dressed. Geez."

Clarice felt a little bad about what had happened and turned around, so she wasn't facing Jubilee. "I'm sorry about that, Jubilee. I didn't realize I had left the door unlocked. I'll be done dressing in a moment."

She then heard Jubilee say, "Well, you shouldn't have left your door unlocked if you were in that state. What if I had been one of the guys, like Angelo or Darrett?"

Clarice almost said something, but stopped herself. She didn't want Jubilee to know about her and Darrett. She then said, "Well, if they did, they would be blinked to the top of the boy's dorm." She then turned around and said, "All done."

Clarice watched as Jubilee turned around and said, "You look like you are in the outfit you arrived here in. I hope that doesn't cause a problem in Japan."

She looked at her outfit and just said, "Well, I hope it doesn't, but I do have something different packed if needed. Apparent, this would not go well at the show."

She watched Jubilee nod and say, "True, and Emma has something for you in her office. We need to get over there, and fast. We need to leave for the airport in less than two hours." Clarice nodded, and grabbed her bags. They did have less than two hours to leave, and hopefully Emma would not keep them detained for long.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Emma**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emma was sitting in her office. She looked at the small watch-like device she was holding and thought about its function. With it, Clarice would look like a normal girl. She knew some people glanced at Angelo, but she figured it would be worse for Clarice. The girl's natural skin color was purple. Something that would not set well, as of yet, but if things kept taking their current course, mutants might be more excepted than before. As she took another look at the device, she said, "I wonder what you'll look like, Clarice?"

She was almost stunned to hear a voice respond, "Are you alright, Emma? Clarice isn't hear right now." She looked up to see Richard and Yvette standing at the door. It was obvious to her that Rich had spoke, as he said, "What are you talking about, anyway?"

Emma then held up the imager and said, "This. When Clarice puts it on and activates it, she will appear like a normal girl. The only problem is that I don't know how different she will appear. For all we know, it may just cover up what her skin looks like."

She then heard Yvette say, "That should be fine as long as the image doesn't make her look like one of those Sailor Scouts. I don't think they would like that at all in Japan."

Emma just nodded and said, "The way Dr. McCoy said it worked was that the hologram would only change what her skin and hair looked like. It would not cover up the clothing she would wear."

She then heard Rich say, "Well, that's a good thing. That means we don't need to have more than one of these." Emma had to agree with that. Now, there was only one thing she needed to discuss with them. She could tell that Rich knew something was bothering her and said, "Emma, is there something else?"

She nodded and said, "As you two know, you both will be chaperones on this trip. And of the four students going with you, I have concerns about one of them."

Before she could finish, she heard Rich say, "I take it that Clarice is the focus of the concern. Do you have reason for this Emma?"

She motioned them closer. It was not something she wanted to say too loudly. When they were both close to her, she softly said, "I believe that you might want to keep a close eye on Clarice. Given her background, and the time she's been here, I think it would be wise."

She watched as both of them nodded. Then, she heard Yvette say, "Should we keep an eye on Darrett as well, or would that raise too much suspicion?"

It had been a valid question, however, Emma thought it would be too much. She softly said, "No, it would be best not too. At worst, it might cause a rift in the team, and with how things have gone lately, we don't want any rifts."

She watched as both nodded and backed away. She was surprised by this, but realized why when she heard footsteps. She looked over at the door and realized what it would be. Soon enough, Jubilee and Clarice were standing at the door. She looked at them and Clarice said, "You wanted to see me?"

Emma motioned to the chair and said, "Yes, Clarice. I wanted to give you the imager we just received. Could you try it out now, since you will be leaving soon." She watched as the girl nodded and placed the device on her wrist. Almost instantly, the holographic image took form and soon, what sat at her desk looked physically like Clarice, but she had dark skin, and black hair. Also, her eyes had appeared to be hazel. Emma felt stunned, as if she wasn't looking at Clarice a moment earlier.

She then noticed the look on Richard's face. Something was bothering the boy. She watched as he moved around Clarice and finally stopped. She then heard him say, "Maybe it should have generated an outfit. Clarice, were you planning on wearing that to the show."

She watched as Clarice turned to face Rich and then noticed what kind of outfit Clarice was wearing. She listened as the girl said, "No sir. I have a nice dress for the show. This is just casual wear."

Emma then said, "Are you sure that will be ok? You will be flying out of Logan. Your choice of attire might not be best for airplane flight?" Emma could tell that Clarice picked the outfit for comfort. It reflected part of the taste of outfits she normally wore, from her home timeline.

Before she could say anything else, Yvette glanced at the clock and said, "We should get going. We have to get to Logan Airport, and to get there, we have to fight the Big Dig." Emma knew what Yvette meant. They had to fight the construction in Boston to get to Logan Airport.

As they all filed out of the office, Emma remembered something and said, "Richard." When he looked in, she said, "I'm going to do some checking around here on Mr. Leveque, before I go. If I find anything, I'll send a message to your office in Japan." She watched as Rich nodded and left. Part of her wished she was going along, and then she remembered that Rich might have a harder time with the students he was taking along.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich walked into Logan Airport with the rest of the group. He was relieved that David Richmer, the chef to be on Iron Chef, was there, waiting for them. Rich walked up to the chef and said, "Are you nervous, David?"

He watched as the chef nodded and said, "Very. I have to admit that I didn't think you'd bring some of the students along from the school, them being mutants and all." Rich felt a little hurt, but he did understand where the man was coming from. Mutant acceptence was going slowly.

Rich just nodded and said, "A fact you are well aware off. They like the show, and you need supporters there." He watched as David nodded. "Besides, they know your talent and they know your a good man."

He then heard Jubilee say, "He's right, ya know. How did you learn how to cook all those great things."

Before the chef could answer, Rich heard a man call his name. "Mr. Cale" He turned to see a face he hadn't seen in a long time.

Rich was amazed and did a double take. "Agent Riovas. It's been years. Are you still in the FBI?" The man just nodded, and then Rich remembered his manors. "I'm sorry, Agent Riovas, let me introduce you to some of my students, my wife, and one of my friends."

Agent Riovas just held up his hand and said, "I wish this was a social call, Richard, but it's serious. The FBI asked me to offer to be a bodyguard while you go to Japan. One of our field office agents was at your chef's restaurant and overheard the news, and after events in Russia, the FBI feels it is advisable."

Rich was stunned at this. He had no clue on what was happening in Russia, but he was also troubled by one fact. Rich looked at Agent Riovas and said, "I find this terribly co-incidental. How did the FBI really find out I was heading to Japan?"

Rich was startled when the agent took him and Yvette a few steps away from the others and said, "To be honest, the FBI didn't know until a man named Thomas Martinette informed us. The assistant director asked for volenteers, and I was not the only one to volenteer. The other man to volenteer appeared to respond to the name mentioned and not yours."

Rich felt Yvette grip his arm and heard her say, "Are you saying that someone might try to kill Rich?"

Rich was almost shocked when Agent Riovas said, "Yes, and no. Indred saw a disaster coming, and that you would be ok afterwords. Richard, I'm not going to hide this from you any longer. For centuries, there has been a group, assigned by the first Paladin, to protect the family from Apocolypse. That's how I got on the case of Soundwave. Indred, our leader, saw Apocolypse's involvement."

Rich kept his voice low and said, "Is Indred like Nostradamus?" When the agent shook his head, Rich nodded and finally said, "Thank you for your concern, but I think we'll be fine without you."

Rich let a knowing smile show, and Agent Riovas nodded and said, "I understand sir. I'll make sure to let my superiors know." Rich watched as the agent walked away.

As Rich turned to lead everyone to the plane, he heard Jubilee ask, "What was that all about, Rich?"

Rich didn't want everyone to know what they had spoke about, but he had to say something to them. He then came up with a simple answer. "The FBI wanted to send an agent to keep an eye on me, like a bodyguard. Something happened in a foreign country, and they wanted me to be safe."

He then heard Clarice say, "You will be. I won't let anyone harm you or Yvette. That is why I'm here."

He wanted to say something to that statement, but Darrett cut him off. "Rich, don't you think we should get to the plane. I think it might leave soon."

He then heard Everett say, "He's right. If it's scheduled to leave on time, we better get there, and fast." Rich knew Everett was right. They needed to get to the plane, and fast. The main benefit they had was they didn't have to go through much in baggage checks.

It didn't take them long to reach the plane. If fact, when they were all aboard, he heard the pilot say, "Good timing. We have to start taxing out to the runway."

Rich knew he didn't have to say a word, since he saw everyone getting in a seat. Soon, he felt the plane begin to move. As it started it's move to the runway, Rich just said, "Ok, we are Japan bound in a few moments."

For those brief moments of taxing to the runway, he saw a look of joy on everyone's faces. He then felt the plane begin it's assent. Almost everyone took the sudden change in stride, except Clarice. He saw a look of pain in her face. It was at that point he remembered her outfit. Before he could say anything, he heard Jubilee say, "You ok, Clarice?"

He watched as she shook her head and said, "Not really. I think I need to really rethink my wardrobe." Rich started to wonder if there were going to be good things about the trip. If the plane flight was giving Clarice something to think about, it may cause other changes in her as well.


	86. Watching The Prey

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Iron X

Watching The Prey

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Kevin**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Kevin stuck another cigarette in his mouth and fumbled for his lighter. Finally he found it in his coat pocket, "damn suit," He muttered, "thing itches like mad'." He lit the cigarette up and looked back towards the entrance to the studio, waiting for Christina. The suit was second hand, but a surprisingly good fit. However Sequel still wore his sunglasses and a black bandanna covering his hair, to match the suit. Sequel took another drag and took another look towards the door. It'd been almost an hour, what was keeping her. Finally, the doors to the building opened and she walked out, wearing a red oriental dress with a gold flower pattern all over it. She walked over to him and sat down.

"No good, they've been sold out for weeks."

"I see." Kevin said, taking one last drag off of his cigarette, then he stomped it out on the pavement.

"So what now?" Balam asked.

"Well, I could sneak in through the air ducts, knock out one of the guards, steal his ID and let you in through the side entrance. Or I could pick the lock to wardrobe and sneak us in as part of the kitchen staff." Balam just looked at him, "Or I could just forge ID's that says we're part of the technical crew."

"That'll be fine." Balam said.

Kevin sat back, pretending to pout, "Man, you never let me have any fun."

"We better get going," Balam said, "we don't have much time."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Equilibrium**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Equilibrium walked into the darkened room carrying a large leather briefcase and being followed by two men in suits. The white-haired giant walked up to a table set in the middle of the room and set the briefcase down. He looked over the assemblage of ninjas before he opened the case and turned it towards them, "500,000 dollars in untraceable gold bars," Equilibrium announced, "that's 50,000,000 in Japanese yen, as per the agreement." Equilibrium looked about the crowd, "The provisions are as follows, you are to capture one of Cale's entourage and bring them to the aforementioned rendezvous point. The kidnapping must be public, and if conceivably feasible, on camera. Third, I will be accompanying you."

"That was not part of the deal," the head ninja said, "the Hand works alone!"

"I am altering the plan," Equilibrium sneered, "if you want your emolument, an immoderate modification on my part should be your least concern."

"You are not the one we take orders from, gaijin dog," said another ninja, "your master was the one that hired us."

Equilibrium's brow furrowed, "You would be wise to avoid insulting me, I could snap your spine with less thought than it takes to scratch my nose." He reached into his coat and pulled out a file, "these are the entourage surrounding Mr. Richard Cale. It is of no concern whom it is that you take hostage as long as you leave Cale alive."

The head ninja took the file from the giant's hands. He opened the file and took a look at the photos inside. Suddenly his eyes grew wide and he said something in Japanese. The other ninjas crowded around him. "Very well, Equilibrium-san, we agree to your terms. But you would be best advised to stay out of our way."

Equilibrium smiled, "Most intelligent. You've made a wise decision this day. Not too many get the chance to benefit from one such as myself, who is beyond perfection." Equilibrium chuckled, turning to leave, "So, until later gentlemen, adieu."

As the giant left one of the ninjas turned to his leader, "Was that a wise choice? That gaijin dog will do nothing but get in the way!"

"Forget him, he can do as he likes." The ninja leader said as he reached into the file, "We have been given a most fortuitous opportunity," he continued, pulling out the photo of Jubilee, "Tonight, our clan can be avenged."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Canon**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Canon raised the glass of Sake to his lips as he stared out the airport window. This was growing tiresome, even with Canon's elongated life spanm this war was taking it's toll on him. Everyday it seemed more and more oppositions to the cause arose. Be they human or mutant, there were deluded and power hungry on both sides of the war. Canon had to deal with many of them before and he would again, just like this Richard Cale.

Canon frowned; Bonega's information on Mr.Cale had been rather abrupt and somewhat sketchy. Still Bonega was Canon's most trusted associate. If he said Cale was this big of a threat Canon knew to treat it as such.

"Leveque-san?" came a voice from across the bar, "Leveque-san, are you listening to me?"

"I apologize," Canon said, setting down his glass, "my mind was wandering." He looked down at the man, "Please, continue."

The man was Kanagawa; rival to the Iron Chef program Richard Cale was about to appear on, beyond that Canon didn't know much else about the man. They sat at an airport bar, Canon and Kanagawa, surrounded by the bar's other patrons, almost each and every one of them in actuality Canon's bodyguards, undercover, as not to draw attention to the six-foot-ten mutant that commanded them. "As I was saying, Leveque-san," Kanagawa continued, "For years I've been trying to best Kaga's Iron Chef Japanese. I know an American did it once, and I want to find out the techniques that Morimoto uses, so my chef can defeat him.

"Trivial." Canon muttered under his breath, then, louder for Kanagawa to hear, "And what would my part in this plan be."

"My main position is to scout, I would need you to help financially, if you can, and send chefs my way." Kanagawa leaned in towards Canon, "Also, at the show, you might draw attention from me and my notebook."

Canon smiled knowingly, "That would be of no problem at all." His smile faded, "But at this taping of Iron chef, you must understand you have an added duty."

"And that would be?"

"You must relay all possible information you observe on this man Richard Cale."

Kanagawa's head turned slightly, "Maybe we can find out something right now."

Canon turned his head in the direction Kanagawa was looking. Outside he saw Kaga, the man from the Iron Chef program, and his entourage, waiting as a private jet taxied it's way towards them. The jet had the Paladin Technologies logo detailed on its side. Canon downed another glass of sake as the door opened and the passengers began to disembark. All of them familiar to Canon by now, he'd memorized each of their faces from the photos Bonega had sent him. Canon's FBI operative was not with them, but that was expected. In fact Canon had gotten his operative's call while Cale and his group were still in America. It didn't matter, the operative was a gratuitous courtesy anyway, a formality, instructed not to interfere with Canon's plan but to protect Cale's life until Canon made his attack. Canon's plan would be set into motion one way or the other.

The last two passengers stepped out of the plane and towards the set of limousines awaiting them, Cale and his wife. Even as far away as canon was he immediately noticed something with the two, something was off. It wasn't the young woman, Canon could tell that, though there was something familiar, a nagging feeling in the back of Canon's mind as he looked at her.

No it was not her, it was Richard Cale. He was hiding something, Canon was sure of it. Canon peered harder; the young man's glasses were fake, merely cosmetic. Canon's brow furrowed "He's hiding his face, why?" then it came to him, "He has a history, he's been at this longer than I expected." He watched as Cale approached Kaga's group, "I applaud you, Mr. Cale, You've hidden yourself from me for this long. Too bad it has to end here."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

As Rich watched everyone head down out of the plane, he looked over at his wife and said, "Well, here we are in the land of the Rising Sun." He had never been to Japan, but now he was excited about it. True, there was a possible threat to his life, but he was not too worried.

He watched as she looked at him and said, "I hope everything remains calm. I'm going to try and keep an eye out for anyone who might have ill will towards us. Emma has been teaching me how to monitor minds with my psi-abilities."

Rich knew what she was going to do. He didn't totally like it, but with a threat like this, he knew the nessessity. He nodded and they both headed out of the plane. Almost immediately, he noticed that Chairman Kaga was there, as well as Morimoto, and some others from the show. Also, Mr. Otonashi, the head of Paladin Technologies in Japan, was there. That was one thing Richard was greatful for. As he headed down the steps to the ground, he heard Chairman Kaga say something. He was a bit puzzled until Mr. Otonashi said, "Chairman Kaga says, 'I welcome you and your chef to our country.'"

Rich took Kaga's hand, bowwed and said, "It is an honor to be here, and I am also honored that you allowed us to be own your show." Rich waited until Mr. Otonashi finished translating and said, "My friends and I have been a fan of your show for some time now."

Rich was almost startled when Jubilee said, "You're Morimoto, I am a big fan of yours." Rich was afraid he wouldn't understand.

Rich then realized how dumb that thought was when Morimoto said, "I thank you for you praise. I hope you have a chance to taste some of my handy work." Rich could even detect a slight New York accent. Morimoto then said, "I do hope the next time you are in New York that you dine at my restaurant there." Rich then watched as both Kaga and Morimoto walked over to David and said, "Mr. Richmer, I'm glad you could make it. We figured that you would need time to rest up from your trip. We have scheduled the show for tomorrow, and picked assitants for you that understand English."

Rich watched as David nodded and said, "I thank you for the consideration."

Rich was almost startled when Kaga spoke. Mr. Otonashi translated the words by saying, "Chairman Kaga said, 'I have a special treat in store for you. I cannot tell you much more than that.'" Rich then noticed that Mr. Otonashi turn. He felt a small pain in his head as Otonashi said, "Sir, it looks like something is wrong with your wife."

Rich turned as saw Yvette holding her head. He could also tell she looked weak in the knees. He ran over to her and put his arm around her. "Yvette, are you alright?"

Instantly, his mind was flooded by images. None of them made sense. One was of the number seven. Another showed the images of faces. A person appear in his mind, but he couldn't place who it was. Then came the most disturbing images, the red eyes. He heard Yvette say in their mind link _"Someone's watching us."_ Rich held her up as she the said aloud, "I think it's a bit of jetlag."

Rich noticed the others gathering around. Clairce was the closest and she said, "I never knew jetlag could cause that." Rich was thankful that he and Yvette were close to Everett and Jubilee for most of the trip. If he started looking like Clarice, it would reveal to everyone there that they were all mutants.

Rich was thankful when Jubilee said, "I felt like that after long flights. Good thing I got a short nap in on the flight."

Rich then said, "Maybe we should depart." He turned to Morimoto and Kaga and said, "We all look forward to tomorrow. May your show bring honor to all of us." As he finished, Mr. Otonashi translated for him.

Kaga smiled and replied, and Mr. Otonashi said, "He says, 'May our chefs make the finest quisine for all to sample.'" They all bowwed and Mr. Otonashi said, "Sir, I have a limo here for all of us."

Rich nodded and said, "Thank you. Let's get in there and head to the company. I'll help my wife." As everyone headed to the limo, Rich looked around and noticed something. They were being watched. One person he couldn't place, but another stood out in his eyes. Kanagawa was watching this. Was he up to something, but what could it be?

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Jubilee**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jubilee watched as Rich got into the limo and closed the door. She figured something was up, due to what happened to Penny. As the limo started out, she said, "What really happened?" She wondered if they should even talk about it, especially in front of Mr. Otonashi.

She was almost startled when Mr. Otonashi said, "It looks like telepathic backlash. Some of the telepaths at the office sometimes get this way." She then saw him look at her and said, "Yes, I'm aware that you might be mutants. Paladin Technologies is mutant friendly."

She then saw Rich glance out the tinted rear window, as he said, "We were being watched. Someone with ill will towards us, and I'm beginning to wonder about one individual." The words struck her to the core. Jubilee had an idea who would be watching them. She didn't want to say, in hopes that Rich was wrong.

She then head Clarice say, as she shut off her image inducer, "Who was it? Apocolypse? Emplate? Soundwave?"

Jubilee then heard Penny say, "None of them, it was someone else. They definately don't mean us well. I can't get it all out of my mind, but I'm trying to sort it out."

Jubilee felt her legs start to shake as she said, "But who was watching us?" She felt Everett put a hand on her. She knew that he knew she was scared. It didn't help comfort her, especially if it was them who was watching them.

She watched as Rich turned around and said, "My attention was drawn to one person, but I don't think it was him. However, next to him was Kanagawa, and if I remember right, he is not a fan of Chairman Kaga's Iron Chefs."

As the limo continued to the building, she heard Darrett say, "So you think he might have something planned, and it might not be good for us?"

Mr. Otonashi said, "I would not put much past Kanagawa. Some of the associates he has had in the past makes me think he'll try anything to ruin Kaga."

Jubilee felt herself start to shake. It was at that time, she heard Everett say, "Is something wrong, Jubilee?" Jubilee looked over at Everett, and at that moment, she knew her eyes told him that she was scared. "Jubilee, what is it?"

She was in a spot, especially when Rich said, "Jubilee, what are you scared of, and do we all have to worry?"

Jubilee couldn't hold it in anymore and blirted it right out. "The Hand. They are a group of ninjas. When I was with the X-Men, our paths crossed a few times. Everytime, I was a key in defeating them. They might be out for revenge."

She watched as Yvette leaned forward and said, "That would explain what the agent told us. They could have found out what was happening with the show."

Jubilee watched as Rich closed his eyes for a moment and said, "Jubilee, would the hand have anything to do with any Russian countries?"

Jubilee just shruged and said, "I don't think so. Why do you ask?" She noticed Penny was about to say something, but then stopped. She wondered if it had anything to do with the agent that spoke to Rich and Penny. She then said, "Is there something you two aren't telling us?"

Rich just said, "I'm not sure how it factors in yet, but it's an unknown piece of the puzzle." She watched as he looked out the window and said, "As for right now, we should get ready to head to the apartments. We will be at the company shortly." Jubilee looked out the window and realized Rich was right. Maybe Rich would figure out how everything was going to piece together before all hell broke loose.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Everett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Everett held Jubilee close to him when the limo entered the garage area of Paladin Technologies. He had never been to any of the company offices, but he remembered seeing one in his hometown. He wondered what it would be like to work in a mutant friendly atmosphere. At that time, he leaned and whispered into Jubilee's ear, "Don't worry, Jubilee. I'll always be with you." It appeared to calm her down, especially as the limo slowed to a halt.

As they all got out, Everett heard Mr. Otanoshi say to the chef. "If you'd like to practice a bit before you head to your apartment in the building, we have set up a chef area in our one kitchen. We made it identical to how it appears on the show, and have provided you with two of our chefs, who understand English."

He watched as the chef nodded and said, "I thank you. It would do well to have some practice. If you could, please fill me in on everything later." Everett then watched as the chef headed off to the kitchen.

As they started up to where the apartments were, Rich just said, "Did you set up the apartment as I specified for us." Everett was a bit puzzled by this. Why did they need a special set up.

He then heard Mr. Otanoshi say, "Yes, sir. It has a main living area, three bath and three bedrooms. We removed the beds in two of the rooms and replaced them with two beds."

He then heard Yvette say, "We basically asked for them to set up a room for Clarice and Jubilee, and another for you and Darrett, Everett. I hope you all don't mind. I was also Emma's idea." Then he knew why they asked for the set up. To prevent anyone from doing something wrong.

He then heard Clarice said, "Sorry to change the topic, but what are we to do on Iron Chef?" It was a good question. Were they going to sit in a special area, or enter with the chef?

As they entered the apartment, Mr. Otanoshi said, "Here is what I have been told. When we get there, Clarice, Darrett, Everett, and Jubilation will be seated in the royal box. You and Yvette, Mr. Cale, as well as myself will wait with the chef. Once the regular audience has entered, and the show has begun, Chairman Kaga will enter and make a brief introduction. When your chef enters, you two shall enter with him. I shall follow, acting as interpreter. Kaga may ask you to sit on the panel, due to your rank in British Government. We will watch the hour cooking battle, and as the others wait, we will head to the tasting room, if we are invited. Does that cover the basics?"

He watch as Rich nodded and said, "That, and then some. I have one more question."

Everett was almost astonished when Mr. Otanoshi said, "The file and contact info is on your desk, in your bedroom. I hope you can do better than I could."

He watched as Mr. Otanoshi left. Once the man was gone, Everett said, "Rich, what was all that about?" Something in his mind thought it was linked to whoever was watching them.

Rich looked at him and said, "Just some business I need to handle since I'm down here. I don't think it has anything to do with what happened at the airport."

Everett watched as Darrett said, "Doesn't sound like you are sure of that." If Darrett hadn't said it, he would have. That was one of the odd things about Darrett. Sometimes they thought the same way.

He half expected Rich's next words. "I think that right now, we should all head to bed. Tomorrow is a very big day, and we don't want to look like we just dragged ourselves out of bed." Rich wasn't going to tell them more than they had to know. Everett knew that if it was dangerous, or had any risk to it, that Rich would tell them.

Everett then put his hand on Darrett's shoulder and said, "C'mon Darrett. Maybe a good night's rest will help all of us sort things out, and be prepared for anything."

As the enterd the room, he heard Darrett say, "Everett, do you think Rich might be hiding stuff from us?"

If he hadn't know better, he would have thought that Darrett was reading his mind. As he closed the door, he said, "I think so, but if I know Rich, it probably because he doesn't think it has anything to do with us. Might just have to do with the company."

He watched as Darrett nodded and said, "You are probably right." Just then, Everett noticed something. Darrett acted as if he was younger that he really was. He noticed the actions a few times before. Maybe something about him reminded Darrett of his real father.

Everett looked at Darrett and said, "Hey Darrett, you never told any of us what your father was like. What kind of guy was he?"

Everett was almost startled when Darrett said, "He died just as I was born, so I never knew him. Everett, I hate to cut this short, but I think we should head to bed." Everett wasn't surprised by the need to go to bed. In fact, he was feeling tired too. Maybe he'd have to try tomorrow to synch up with Darrett, but not now. Right now, Darrett was right, and they had to head to bed.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette kept a mental track on everyone. Emma had told her just to keep an empathic link on them, and not a psyonic link. However, right now, her big concern wasn't the rest of the group. It was Rich. He was trying to do something for the company, and something told her it wasn't going to be easy. She walked over to where he sat, by the phone, and started to massage his shoulders. She could tell it was helping him a bit to relax. She listened as he said into the phone, "Yes. I'd like to speak to Ambasador Jean Leveque. It is urgent that I speak with him." As she listened, he just said to her mentally, _"Are you __feeling better, hun?"_

She kissed him and said _"A bit. I'm still a little shook up from the images, but some rest will help me."_

She watched as he held up his hand. Apparently, there was a voice on the other end of the phone. She then noticed an upset look cross Rich's face as he slamed the phone down. She could even tell it when he said, "Damn it. I hate getting a run around like that."

Yvette continued to massage his shoulders as she said, "Why, what happend?" He never got this upset about something like this.

She watched as he started to dial again. "Apparently, they forwarded me to some guy in America. Someone named Bob Bonega. I could tell it was America since the voice mail that picked up stated it was in America."

Yvette could only think one thing about that. Something didn't seem right about that. She said in their mind link, _"I think something is not right there. I can't put my finger on it, but something seems wrong."_ She watched as he put his hand up again. He got another person. She figured now would be the best time to get Grimore out.

As she walked over to the carrier, she hear Rich say into the phone. "Listen, last person I spoke to forwarded me to someone in the United States. Why, I have no clue. I need to speak with Ambassador Jean Leveque. If he's not available, he can call me about seven tommorrow morning." She could tell Rich was upset. He emphasized every other word, until the last sentance, where all the words were equal.

When she had the carrier open, she heard Rich slam the phone down. She watched as Grimore cautiously made his way out of the carrier and asked, "Is there problems?"

She waited until Rich came over and said, "Apparently, there are problems with the company."

She turned to Rich and said, "I take it that you could not reach the Ambassador."

"I'm starting to wonder if he has something against me."

Yvette just looked at her husband and said, "You don't think he hates mutants?" It was possible, but she hoped that wasn't the case. Then she thought about it more, and wondered if the Ambassador even knew that Rich was a mutant.

She then heard Grimore ask, "Sir, what was the name of the Ambassador?"

She watched as Rich walked over to the papers he had and said, "His name is Jean Leveque. Does the name sound familiar?"

She saw Grimore tilt his head. Apparently he was thinking hard about it and finally said, "Yes, but I doubt this is the same man, maybe a descendent. But that would not give an explaination of his actions."

She heard Rich yawn when he said, "True, it may just be he doesn't have time in his schedule. I just hope he isn't upset. I did sound harsh when speaking to his aide."

Yvette stood up and put her arm around Rich and said, "Maybe we should head to bed." She then said, _"Besides, everyone else has gone to sleep."_ She saw a smile cross his face. It was the response she wanted. She just looked at Grimore

and saw the cat nod and head out of the room. At least they wouldn't have to worry about Grimore. She then started to wonder what it would be like to have a child. Grimore would help take care of any children they have.

She felt Rich kiss her as he said, _"You'll be a wonderful mother. I hope that day comes soon."_ She liked the sound of that, and if Rich did decided to move back to England, the child would get to see a lovely country as he grew up. She thought of all the happy times having a child could bring as they went to bed. She hoped that day would come soon.


	87. Unnerving Meetings

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Iron X

Unnerving Meetings

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Canon**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Canon stepped into the elevator surrounded by four of his bodyguards. He'd just spent the last two hours in a gym facility set up on his arrival. He'd been practicing his unique style of swordplay, as he did from time to time. Now after his work out his mind felt sharper than ever. He felt entirely ready to handle the business that lay before him in the land of the rising sun.

The door opened and Canon's entourage stepped out followed by Canon himself as they walked down the hallway they were joined by a much larger individual. "How was the rendezvous?" Canon asked without turning to face Equilibrium.

"There were negotiations, but nothing major." Equilibrium reported, "They agreed to your terms and are awaiting your instructions."

"Good, good." Canon smiled. The cards were finally falling into play. Finally Canon felt he had some control in this Cale situation which had plagued him so recently. If all went well now Canon's attack on Cale would be over before Cale knew it had begun.

Canon stepped into his office, still smiling with self-reassurance. As he entered the door one of his aides approached, "Sir, you requested to be notified if anyone from Paladin tech tried to contact you while you were out." Canon nodded, "We received a phone call from the head of the company himself, a Mr. Richard Cale."

"What?" Canon raged. So much for his flawless plan. He reached out and grabbed the aide by the lapel, his eyes gleaming, lips drawn back in a sneer. The aide flinched and Canon caught himself. He let go of the man and caught his composure, "leave us." He said to the other aides in the room. The men filed to leave, the last one closing the door behind him. Canon walked around

to his desk and sat down, "I apologize for that display," he said in calm voice, "but you must understand that something of that magnitude should require my immediate attention." Canon sat forward and placed his palms together crossing his fingers in front of his face, "What did Mr.Cale say in his message?"

The aide looked back nervously for a moment before he continued, "He simply asked to speak to you personally... and sir... he mentioned seven." Canon's left eyebrow raised, but he made no other acknowledgments.

The man stood nervously for a few seconds before Canon finally spoke, "My dear friend, what is your name?"

"Jacque... Jacque Depluir."

"Jacque," Canon said as he stood, "I'll do no more than reprimand you this time, but working for me requires obedience... we cannot allow ourselves to become ill-informed." Canon motioned towards the door.

Equilibrium shook his head mockingly "Most unprofessional of you sir, mistreating the help like that, be he a Neanderthal or not, not good morale." He said sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up." Canon said as he walked over to his desk again, "This Cale situation has got me on the edge. He seems to know enough about me to connect me to Asylum 7, and yet I have no information upon anything of his past." Canon turned on his computer; "It's very aggravating to attack an enemy you know nothing about."

"You have spies don't you?" Equilibrium said as he sauntered up, "Operatives who specialize in acquiring information? Then use them."

"Idiot." Canon replied, typing at his keyboard, "Don't you think that I have? Nothing but his cover story has come back to me. Whoever he is, he's good at hiding secrets. More so even than myself." Canon's eyebrows lifted as a screen came up on his computer, "Until now."

"Hmm?"

"It appears that Mr. Bonega, at least, is doing his job. He's sent me some extensive information including video feed."

Equilibrium walked around the desk to view the monitor. In the E-mail he saw text clippings from a court case involving Cale and a Mutant calling himself Soundwave. Asylum 7 marked files about an anti-mutant terrorist named Bastion Cale, with sub-notes on Bastion's family and files on terrorist's effects on the family. A page was highlighted; discussing how family members of known terrorists can grow to have violent tendencies of their own. Then there was the video footage. Richard Cale on the show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Accompanying the file was a personal note from Bonega, 'Mr. Cale seems to have been on more than one game show.' It read, 'it may suggest he is using them as a kind of publicity stunt to attract others to his following'.

"Intriguing," Canon remarked.

"I suppose," Equilibrium remarked, "in my personal opinion he still appears to be no more than a somewhat gifted individual with delusions of grandeur. Still hardly worth our attention."

Canon looked at Equilibrium sternly and the giant stepped back, a look of fear coming over his face, "Are you blind, or merely stupid?" Canon stood and approached his towering lackey, "If this is the information to have surfaced, you can obviously piece together what is still hidden; Richard Cale is a genocidal madman, brought on by internal family conflict. He is well experienced with dealing with opposition, and... most importantly... he has a gift for recruiting followers, believers in his cause, enough so to make him a television celebrity." Canon looked Equilibrium strait in the eyes, "He is a uniquely dangerous individual, and he must not be underestimated!"

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Clarice**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Clairice awoke early. It wasn't because she was nervous. She wanted to spend a little private time with Darrett, especially after the dream she had. She had dreamt that she and Darrett were together, with a child, living in a huge place. It was such a beautiful dream. She smiled when she thought of it. She looked over at Jubilee. Did Jubilee have dreams like that about Everett? Then she wondered if Jubilee was awake. If Jubilee was awake, she couldn't sneak off. She went over to Jubilee and said, very softly, "Are you awake?" She watched for any sign of movement before she decided she would visit Darrett. She smiled when she noticed Jubilee did not wake up. She smiled and then teleported out of the room. She knew where she was teleporting to as well. She arrived right by Darrett's bed. She leaned down and kissed Darrett and softly said, "Wake up, handsome."

She watched as Darrett openned his eyes and smiled at her. He also had a slight worried look on his face as he said, "Clairice, you shouldn't be here. Everett could wake up and find us here."

She laid down next to him and said, "Well, maybe we should so someplace we can be alone." She passionately kissed him so he'd get the meaning. She made it a long deep kiss, and hoped Everett wouldn't wake up.

When she finally stopped the kiss, she looked him in the eyes as he said, "Ok, where do you have in mind?'

She smiled and got off the bed. She then said, "There was a small room that we passed on the way up here. It looked quiet in there. Hopefully, no one will wake up for a while yet."

She watched as he got out of bed and said, "Alright, but we better not be gone for too long. If Everett or Jubilee wakes up and finds us missing, we will be in deep trouble." She knew what he meant. The minute one of the two wake up, they will inform Rich and Yvette.

She smiled and said, "Ok, but let's leave by teleport. It shouldn't wake anyone up." She took Darrett's hand and smiled. "To our little hideaway." She then teleported them to the spot she saw on the way in.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Everett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Everett wasn't sure if he heard noise in the room, but when he openned his eyes, he knew he had. He had awoken to the sight of Darrett and Clairice leaving through one of her portals. He sat up just as it disappeared, and he said, "Oh man. Rich and Yvette are going to flip." He quickly got up and got dressed. He didn't take long, since he didn't know what the two were up to. Only one thought went through his mind. He had to get the others. Then he wondered if it was really Clairice. When he was finally dressed, he ran for the door and headed out of the room, running straight for the room that the girls had. He hoped that Jubilee was awake, but he had a feeling she wasn't. He first knocked on the door, and said, "Jubilee, wake up."

When there was no sound, he openned the door and ran in. She was still asleep in bed. He ran over to her and gently nudged her. At that, she openned her eyes and said, "Hey there. Won't you get in trouble for being in here?"

Everett just shook his head and said, "Not as much trouble as Clairice and Darrett are going to get into. Look." He pointed over to where Clairice had been sleeping. He watched as she followed where he was pointing to.

He watched as she sat straight up and said, "Oh man. It's gonna hit the fan. They can't keep running risks like this." He knew what she meant like that. There had been a few times the two had been caught in some kind of situation. Each time, someone dismissed it and didn't tell Sean and Emma. He had even heard that Yvette had caught them once. His thought was interrupted when Jubilee said, "Ev, why don't you try synching up with one of them?"

Everett knew what Jubilee was getting at, and sighed. "I tried it once with Darrett, but I couldn't synch with him. I never tried it with Clairice because I thought it was because of alternate time-lines and such." At least, that was his thought on the matter. He never really tried much, because Darrett's power seemed very unsettling.

Jubilee started to get up and said, "Well, let me get dressed, and then we will tell Rich and Yvette. Hopefully one of them will have an idea. Besides, the sooner we find them, the better things will be."

Everett had to agree with that. "Yea, we have to leave for the show in a bit. We can't have them far away for long." As he left the room, he hoped Jubilee wouldn't take long. He also hoped that the search for the others wouldn't take long, and maybe there would be an answer for why he couldn't synch with Darrett.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich looked on at the scene is disbelief. He knew it was a dream, but it had a bad vibe about it. Rich was standing in front of a giant hand, and it appeared that Jubilee was struggling to get free of the hand. He looked up to see a giant form of Adrienne Frost, acting like a puppeteer. He knew her face, but her eyes glowed red, and on her blouse was a number seven. What did that mean? Rich then looked back at the hand, but it was gone. He almost feel backward when he saw it was now a sentinal, but what was worse was, he could see Jubilee in it. He was in fright when he shout, "NOOOO!"

Rich felt two hands on his shoulders, and openned his eyes. He saw Yvette looking at him and said, "Hun, you need to wake up. I think we might have a problem." He then heard the knocking at the door. She then said, "They've been knocking for a few minutes. We better get dressed, fast."

Rich got out of bed, and quickly put on some clothing. "I hope it isn't my nightmare coming true. That's the last thing we need now." He saw the way Yvette looked at him. This worried her. She knew his nightmares usually came true, and they were rarely wrong. He just said in their mind link, _"If it isn't what I think it is, we are alright."_

He saw that she calmed down a bit and they went to the door. When they got to the door, Rich openned it to see Jubilee and Everett there. He was both relieved and yet concerned. Why were they upset. It wasn't until Everett spoke that he knew the problem. "Darrett and Clairice just left, together." That was not good news.

He stepped out of the room and said, "How did that happen? I had the boy and girls seperated to prevent that." Indeed, he originally planned for everyone to stay in their rooms, but he forgot one thing. You can't totally control teenagers.

He then heard Jubilee say, "I guess Clairice woke up and got Darrett. I don't know what made her decide to do it. All I know is I had some nice dreams last night." That had him worried.

Rich gave a quick glance to Yvette and she said, _"I think I didn't have the empathic link set for one way."_ He almost rolled his eyes, but decided not to. He then heard Yvette say, "Maybe you and Everett should look for them, hun. You can synch up with Darrett and find him."

He was about to comment on it when Everett said, "I can't synch up with Darrett. I've tried, but nothing happens."

Rich could not believe how difficult this was getting. Why didn't Everett try to synch up with Clairice. He moved toward Everett to gain his powers and said, "Then try to synch up with Clairice. That may be the only way to find them." He watched as Everett started to focus on the idea. Apparently, Everett never tried it before. Rich started to focus on it as well. Soon, their aura's flew off and out of the room. The hunt was on. Rich looked at the other and said, "When I give the word, open the bed room doors again. They will be back by then." Soon the two left the apartment.

As then headed through the halls, Everett said to him. "Rich, how did you know this would work. I thought it wouldn't since they are both from different timelines." He had to admit to some of the logic, but he wondered how faulty it had been.

Rich looked at Everett and said, "You never know unless you try. Beside, that can't be the reason, but there must be an explination."

He watched as Everett stopped and said, "Look. The aura's are in front of that door. I bet they are in there. Now how do we catch them in the act."

Rich smiled and said, "Everett, why do you think I told Yvette to open the doors when I give the word. We'll chase them back. When I tell you to, head back. It will send the two back to the room quick. By the time you are up there, they will be."

He watched as Everett nodded and said, "Very sneaky. I should go when you say so, and the ruckus you cause send the two back to the room. I'll be ready to run."

Rich called back his aura, and started walking to the door, very slowly. He wanted Ev's power to leave him before he did anything. He felt it fade away as he neared the door. This would be it. That's when he felt something for the first time. For the first time, he was getting Darrett's power, and it shocked him. He saw who the boy's parents were. That answered some questions, but he couldn't tell the answers, not yet. He looked back at the door and shouted, "Ok Everett. I'll check here, you check down at the other door." He quickly openned the door, only to see the portal disappear. The room was now empty, but he knew alot about Darrett now. Now, all that had to be done was tell the others.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette waited in the apartment. She was waiting for the right moment to open the door to the girls room. She knew it wouldn't take long for Everett and Rich to find the two stragglers. She had a few choice words ready. She figured Rich had a few words ready too. Soon, she heard Rich say, _"They should be there by now."_

She quickly turned to Jubilee and said, "Anything?" Jubilee was listening at the guys door for any sounds of activity. She knew Jubilee wouldn't open the door until she said to.

She watch as Jubilee nodded and said, "Sounds like someone just arrived. I think Clarice will be in her room in a few seconds."

This was it, the moment of truth. Yvette looked at Jubilee and said, "On three. One. Two. Three." Yvette then openned the door to the girl's room as Jubilee openned the door to the boy's room. She saw Clarice, who appeared a bit shocked, and said, "Both of you out here, and into the next room. We need to talk."

She saw the look Clarice gave her as she said, "How much trouble are we in?" At least she was concerned about what would happen.

Yvette wasn't sure how to answer that one, but she said, "It will be up to Richard. Now march." She watched as Clarice left the room and headed into their room. She then looked over at Darrett and said, "You too. You have been at the school longer than Clarice has. You should know the rules better."

Darrett just hung his head in shame. She didn't want to go hard on them, but they left her no choice. As Darrett entered the room, he looked at her and said, "I hope you aren't too rough on us." She could tell in his voice, that he was thinking about his time. It sent a chill through her.

She turned and said to Jubilee. "I'm going to keep an eye on them. You get ready for the show, and tell Everett to do the same." She then entered the room and closed the door. She then said, "What were you two thinking?" She watched as both had their heads down. She then said, "Listen, I'm not going to pass judgement. I looked the other way back when those girls were at the school. I can't do that now. It wasn't me who discovered you missing."

She was almost startled when she heard Rich say, "What was this about back at the school?" She turned to see he had walked in the door and closed it. She thought that Rich had found out before then. He then said, "Does anyone care to tell me?"

She was almost startled when Darrett said, "Well, something happened that Clarice was losing her outfit, and I was holding it up. While I was doing that, we ended up kissing." Yvette was almost shocked when he fessed up to that.

She watched as Rich thought about it for a second and said, "Well, that was innocent, but this wasn't. What exactly were you two up to?"

Yvette felt a wave of guilt pass through her when Clarice said, "Well, I had a dream about Darrett last night. We were alone, together, and, well..." Yvette had a bad feeling where that dream had manifested.

She quickly said in the mind link, Hun, I think I'm partially to blame for this. It was her feelings last night, before they fell asleep, that was being reflected in Clarice.

Rich just said to her, We should have been more careful. But they acted on it. She knew he was right about both things. He then said, "I wish I could go easy on this. The only reason Yvette and I aren't affected by this rule is that we are married. You two aren't. You would be risking alot by doing that. You may be suspended for this, but I'll hold judgement until we get back."

She then looked at the two and said, "You should both get ready for the show. We have to leave soon." It was true. They were due to be at the studio in a short time, and she had to get into dress atire.

She watched as both started to leave the room. Before they could both get out the door, Rich said, "Darrett, can you stay for a moment?" She saw fear cross the boy's eyes. She wondered what Rich wanted with Darrett. It startled all in the room, and this worried her for some reason. What did Rich want with Darrett?

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett was stunned when he heard Rich tell him to stay. Why did Rich want him to stay? Was he going to be expelled right then and there. He knew he shouldn't have gone with Clarice. He watched as Clarice left and closed the door. He then said, "What's wrong, sir?"

He watch as Rich motioned to a chair and said, "Sit down. We need to address an issue that just arose." Darrett was nervous now. It wasn't about Clarice, but something else. What could it be. Rich then said, "You never wanted anyone of Generation X to know who your parents were, did you?"

Darrett was stunned. Rich had somehow latched on that deepest secret. Darrett felt as if he was going to faint. He then said, "How did you find out?" It was hard for him to believe that Rich had found out, but he had.

Rich just looked at him and said, "Is it that important? The fact is I know that Everett is your father, and Daria is your mother. You never let me get your abilities because of that fact."

Darrett knew Rich was right on that part. Darrett didn't want Rich to get his abilities. It was the main reason he never got close to Rich. He then said, "I never wanted to tell them, but I always thought I should. What do you think I should do?" He was never sure what to do, and now he was confronted by it.

He saw Yvette was thinking about it as well, and she finally said, "Don't tell them. It would be more harmful than good."

He realized what she meant. For the good of the team, his secret needed to never be revealed. Darrett then said, "Do you think I should ever tell them?" It was a thought that always ran through his head, and since his secret had been discovered, it needed to be asked.

Darrett watched as Rich looked at him and said, "I can't answer that right now, Darrett. What I can tell you is to that we have to soon head to the studio. Hurry and get ready. Remember, dress up. We have to look our very best." Darrett nodded and headed off the boy's room. On his way, he saw that everyone else was dressed and ready. As he looked everyone over, he wondered if fate would allow them to look normal for the whole show.


	88. Iron Chef Assult

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Iron X

Iron Chef Assult

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Kevin**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sequel pushed the large duffel bag down the ventilator shaft, slowly moving across studios towards the studio reserved for the Iron Chef show. It hadn't been too difficult for Sequel to get into the building. But the vents were especially small; Sequel couldn't even take full breaths as he wedged his way through the air duct. Finally the length of air duct opened up to an enclosed space above the studio. Sequel wedged his way out of the airshaft and sat down. He looked back at the airshaft, back towards the elevator shaft and his planned route of escape, "Fuck that." Kevin muttered to himself. Obviously he'd get stuck in the vents long enough for the buildings security forces to find him. Mentally Sequel made a change of plans.

Sequel looked around at the smoke detectors and sneered... God he needed a cigarette. He pulled out a square of nicotine gum and stuck it in his mouth. As Kevin chewed he opened up the duffel bag and pulled out a pocket fisherman and hooked it to a pipe above a ventilation grate. He hooked the other end to the grate and wound the line until it lifted the grate open about five inches. locking the line in place, Kevin reached back into the duffel back and pulled out the disconnected sections of a large rifle. As he snapped the gun together Sequel could hear the stagehands several tens of feet below setting up for the show. Sequel connected the tripod for the gun and set it up to the opening in the vent. Kevin peered through the scope to get a good look at the amphitheater, now all he had to do was wait for Canon.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Balam**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

" Ito, Kumiko?"

"Hai."

" Horibuchi, Yoshihito "

"Hai"

The cast manager looked at his list and then up at the group of sur-chefs gathered before him, "It doesn't seem you are on the list..."

"Tajiri, Soichiro" the young chef bowed, "I'm filling in."

The cast manager nodded, "Alright everyone get into position, we go on the air in 30 minutes. Behind the make-up and prosthetics Sequel had used for her cover, Balam smiled. Perhaps this would work after all. She got in place with the other sur-chefs.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Canon**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The door to the Iron chef sound stage opened and the audience began to filter in. slowly everyone began to find their seats. The spacious soundstage began to fill with a steady chatter, growing stronger as more and more of the crowd filed in.

Two figures filed through the doors with the rest of the crowd, slowly making their way to their seats, a small Japanese man carrying a notebook and a towering sandy blonde haired man in a suit resembling a tuxedo. "Now Remember, Leveque-san, you are to distract the crowd from my work."

"I know my role in this, my friend, I suggest you be a bit more concerned with yours." Canon went to take his seat, "Don't forget whom is doing whom a favor here."

"I don't like your tone." Kanagawa began, but his voice trailed off as he saw the look in Canon's eyes. It sent shivers down his spine, in fact he had to take a step back it affected him so, as he did he bumped into another member of the audience and dropped his notebook. Kanagawa apologized and picked up the note book. He looked back up at Canon, whose angry stare had not shifted.

"I would be more cautious, if I were you. If I were not sitting right here you would have given yourself away just now."

"Yes, Leveque-san." Kaga bowed humbly, "I apologize Leveque-san."

"Good, Now find a seat elsewhere in the theater," Canon said resting back in the seat, "and not an eye will fall upon you for the duration of the show."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Richard Cale watched as people started to settle in their seats. Soon, the show would begin, but that didn't help Rich's nerves. The nightmare still stuck in his head. It made him more nervous as the day went on. He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard Yvette say in their mind link, _"Are you nervous about the nightmare?"_

Before he could answer, he heard the translator for the announcer begin his intro. "Hello everyone, and welcome again to Kitchen Arena. We are in for a real treat today, as another chef from the United States comes to challenge one of the Iron Chefs."

He then heard the other announcer say, "Yes, but rumor has it that Chairman Kaga has a few surprises planned. And here he comes now."

Rich watched as Kaga approached the podium where the secret ingredient would appear. When Kaga reached the point, Rich heard another translator speak for Kaga. "Not to long ago, Morimoto was defeated by American chef, Bobby Flay. Now, Morimoto has discovered a new talent. A very gifted chef who can cook in many different styles. Now he will have a true test of his abilities, and to add to the pressure, the man who helped him get his start is here to watch, and even taste his quicine. Let us now welcome the challenger, David Richmer."

When the last words were spoke, the music started to play, and David headed in. Rich followed a step behind. This was David's moment in the sun, and he needed to be in second place. Yvette was a step behind him, and next to them, two men carriyng the flags of the United States, and England. As they entered, he heard the announcer say, "Now entering Kitchen Arena. David Richmer, a master of many styles, being followed by the owner of Paladin Technologies, Richard Cale Jr. and his wife, Yvette Cale."

He then heard the first announcer say, "Yes, and he's more than that. He has the title of Lord in England, so you can bet that Chairmen Kaga is thrilled with his appearence here." Rich wondered if part of the reason that David was picked was so he'd be there. He then cleared that from his mind. There was no guarentee that they would have come to Japan.

When they stopped in front of Kaga, Kaga greeted them all, but addressed mainly David. "I welcome you to Kitchen Arena. I hear you are a master of many cooking styles. I hope I did not hear wrong."

Rich watched as David said, "You did not. I owe some of my skills to Mr. Cale. Cooking for him has allowed me to expand my horizons as a chef."

Rich was a bit flattered, but could not take all the claim on that. It was some of Yvette's unique tastes that allowed David to improve his skills. Kaga then looked at Rich and said, "I trust you will want to see how well your chef does in the tasting part."

Rich nodded and said, "I would like to taste what he creates. I do hope he picks wisely. I know all your chefs are good." It was true. Kaga only picked the best chefs to be his Iron Chefs.

Rich was almost surprised when Kaga said, "I don't think that will be a problem. Now I summon the Iron Chefs"

Rich was in awe as the lights went low and the music played. Soon, the Iron Chefs began entering the arena. He then heard the announcer say, "Now entering Kitchen Arena are your Iron Chefs. Hiroyki Sakai, Iron Chef French. Chen Kenichi, Iron Chef Chinese, and Masiharo Morimoto, Iron Chef Japenese."

Just then, Rich heard new music enter the mix, and everyone looked off to the side. Rich was stunned, as was the second announcer. "Wait a second, here comes Masahiko Kobe, Iron Chef Italian. What is he doing here? What does Kaga have planned?"

Rich looked over the crowd and saw the shock from everyone. This was not expected, not even by the chefs. Kaga then said, "Because you are such an expert in many styles, I decided that you, with the aid of 3 sur-chefs, shall chalenge all of the Iron Chef's at once. In a true battle royal." Rich and Yvette headed up to their seats as the Chef's entered the arena. Kaga had played this well. When they were all in position, Kaga just said, "Unlike other battles, your dishes will be judged individually. You must make one of each style, plus a fifth of a different style or combining styles. And in honor of our guest, I thought I would pick an ingredient more in tune with where you are from. Today's secret ingredient will be..."

Rich watched as Kaga unveiled the ingredient. As it slowly came up, he saw Yvette smiling as she said, "David will have no problems. It's his favorite ingredient, and mine." Rich then saw the red orbs on display.

Kaga then said, "Apples." With that, he saw a huge grin go across David's face, and a worried look across some of the Iron Chefs. David knew how to work with apples. Soon the gong rang and the battle was underway.

As the battle commenced, Rich watched over the audience across from him. He didn't know why, but he felt he needed to look over at the people over there, especially the one on the end. Rich glanced at him and then realized he saw him before, at the airport. Rich did a quick look over the group again and noticed another person he saw at the airport, Kanagawa. Was it really him? He needed to know. He quickly said in his mindlink, _"Hun, I think the spies are back. Give a quick mind scan, discrete of everyone in the area. Nothing that will bring notice to you."_

He listened as she said _"Alright, I'll make it quick. If anything, they might notice a slight mental pinch, but nothing they will think twice about."_ Rich then went back to watching the contest. He hoped David would win.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Yvette**  
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Yvette glanced around the whole place. Someone was there that Rich recognized. She hadn't seen the spies at the airport, but she had picked up on one. Now, they were here and she needed find them. She decided to look down at what David was doing, to disguise the fact she was doing a mind scan. It was something Emma once told her. If you are scanning minds, don't let them think you are doing it. She quickly focused on everyone there. As she scanned, she detected many minds there. Most were watching the contest, and watching the time. She picked up on two minds, thinking about Canon. She couldn't figure out more, but she didn't need to. She then picked up on the spy. It was Kanagawa. That much was clear. Then it happened. She encounted the same barrier again. The same images she had seen before at the airport. One of the spies was out there. She didn't want to give any clue that she tried to peer into the mind, but she got a little more. She looked across the room and saw him. He was out of place, the only non-asian on the other side of the room. That had to be the one she saw the images of. She was about to tell Rich what she found out when the scent of apples baking hit her nose. She was in heaven. She looked over where David was cooking and saw what he was making. She quietly said, "Hun, he's making my family's favorite dish."

She watched as he took a breath and smiled. "You're right, hun. He is making your favorite. I think the chefs have a run for their money." She then noticed the show's reporter coming over to them. She wondered if he noticed their little conversation.

When the reporter finally got to them, she heard him ask, "Mrs. Cale, do you know what Chef Richmer is making?" She was thankful that their interperter was there. If not for him, she wouldn't know what they were saying.

She just smiled and said, "He's making a dish from my homeland, the former Yugoslavia. I think the tasters are in for a real treat." As the reporter stepped away, she quickly turned to the others and set up a mind link with all of them. _"Listen, I think our spies are here. I picked up the same ones as before. I think we might be in trouble."_

She heard Jubilee say, _"Is it The Hand?"_ She could tell there was fear in the voice. Whoever the hand was, Jubilee was afraid of them.

Yvette then said, _"I don't think so. One name came up in my scan. Canon. It might be something big, but I don't know. This Canon might be assoicated with some of the images I saw earlier."_

She heard Clarice respond, by saying, _"I know of that name, but only in passing. In my timeline, he was one of the first eliminated by Apocolypse. I don't know why, but that was what I was told by the X-Men in my time."_

Darrett then said, _"I don't know much about him in my timeline. He might have been dead in my timeline." _These thoughts were not helpful. If Canon was something they didn't know of in any timeline, they had big problems. She could tell everyone was thinking about this. A foe they knew nothing about, and it was at a most in opertune time. She thought of the images she saw earlier. Was Canon a group of seven people? If not, what did the seven mean?

She was lost on that thought when the ending gong sounded. The battle was over, and she saw 5 dishes on the table. David had done a good job. She then heard Kaga say, "I wanted to let you know, Mr. Cale, that you are invited to join in the tasting."

She nodded as he said, "My wife and I would be delighted. It would be nice to taste what he made, and even sample the works of four of the best chefs in the world." She saw Kaga smile at those words. She then heard him say, _"I think you are racking your brain for answers, and we don't even have all the clues."_ She nodded and then heard Rich say, "We'll be right back. If anything happens, don't join in unless told to. Understood. No powers of any sort." It was a good precaution. She then got up with him, as they headed for the tasting area.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Jubilee**  
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Jubilee watched as Rich and Yvette left for the tasting area. After finding out that they were still being watched was bad, but this made that feeling even worse. An old fear was resurfacing, one where 'The Hand' would strike and kill her. Although she had been a part of their defeat everytime, it only made matters worse. Once Rich and Yvette had been gone, Jubilee said, "I'm worried. If 'The Hand' is here, they might strike now."

She then heard Clarice say, "Maybe I should be keeping an eye on Rich and Yvette. If this 'Hand' attacks, or this Canon group attacks, they might need my help."

Jubilee then looked over at Everett as he said, "How? Rich said not to use any of our powers, no matter what, unless he says so. This isn't someplace where we won't be seen. We are in a television show." She had to admire that about Everett. He was always thinking about the situation. To use their powers now would be a mistake.

She was stunned when Darrett just said, "He's right. We aren't really in a spot where we can do anything. Even if I use my powers, it would be humanish characters. Anything else would lead to suspicion and...." She heard him trail off as a gasp came from elsewhere.

Jubilee turned just in time to see a bunch of ninja enter the area. It was 'The Hand', but something was different. She then noticed it, the was a very large ninja. He looked like a giant compared to the others. Soon, a fight was beginning. It was not good at all. She then heard some words that made it go from bad to worse. One ninja looked at here and shouted, "It's her. For our honor, capture our foe." She watched in almost fright as 'The Hand' started to advanced. This was not good.

She then heard Ev say, "I think we better dive for cover. Last thing we need to do is engage them." He was right. Right now, they needed to get out of harms way. She saw the other duck down, but she was still in shock. She couldn't move. She then heard him shout, "Come on, Jubilee, move."

She brought herself to move and said, "I'm on my way." As she turned to move, she saw one of 'The Hand' come up in front of her. She quickly stopped and tries to move back, but she realized what she did wrong too late. She backed right into another ninja's arm. She was stunned when he put a rag over her mouth. She then realized what it was as she drifted out of consciousness. It was chloroform. As she drifted off, she started to hope Gen X would do something before the hand was successful.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Equilibrium**  
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Equilibrium laughed, he hadn't expected to get such a pure enjoyment out of this mission, but the utter chaos that had eminated since he entered the room was nothing less than pure art to him and he hadn't even begun to use his powers.

A security guard ran up to the giant, ready to subdue the big man with a tazer. Underneath his Ninja mask Equilibrium just grinned, shot out his right arm and grabbed the man by the throat. The security guard dropped his tazer and struggled as Equilibrium held him high in the air for a few moments, then the giant slammed him down to the floor with a chokeslam. Equilibrium kicked the unconscious guard aside nonchalantly as he continued on towards the stage.

All around him the Hand was causing a panic, the audience was practically trampling each other to get to the exits. Meanwhile the buildings security had called in reinforcements, done up in SWAT armor no less. How utterly predictable. With a stroke of his hand Equilibrium sent the entire batch of reinforcements crashing into the wall behind them with a wind attack. Equilibrium laugh aloud, "Is this the superlative you can offer me! I do not even break a sweat at this meaningless attempt at an offense!"

A guard jumped on Equilibrium's back and began choking him with a nightstick. Equilibrium whirled around, trying to get rid of this annoyance on his neck. Finally he grabbed the guard and with one arm sent him flying into the first row of seats in the auditorium. Equilibrium went to finish the fight when he saw two members of the hand carrying off a small asian girl. "No, No, No, you half-witted barbarians. The Target is the young master Cale, and none other! Continue the dual and capture the true target! None leave until I give the command!"

Suddenly a figure dropped down from above knocking two of the Ninjas to the ground with his landing. This new figure dressed in black leather grabbed a third ninja by the back of his head and kneed him in the face again and again before he flipped off the dazed man and tossed him into the crowd.

One of the chefs from backstage leapt from the stage, casting the apron aside to display a girl with cat ears an a tail in a skin-tight leather outfit. She ran up to join her comrade as he grabbed a folding chair from over by the television monitors and struck randomly at the mass of Ninjas. The girl grew a considerable size and literally pounced on the ninjas, tossing them aside left and right. "So," Equilibrium said to himself, "they are here."

That was when the attack came; Equilibrium was hit at full force from behind. Stunned, the giant turned. It was that Richard Cale, readying himself for another attack. The young man rushed, slamming into the seven footer with another full speed tackle. The giant teetered. Cale saw his chance. One more full speed tackle, crashing into the heart of the big man. The giant fell to the concrete floor, sliding back towards the elevated stage as he hit.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Kevin**  
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Sequel smacked another ninja up-side the head with the chair, denting it on impact. Sequel then tuned to face a ninja charging at him with his sword drawn. Kevin grinned and tossed the chair at the ninja. Acting on reflex, the ninja grabbed the chair as it came towards his face, next thing he knew, a powerful kick had been delivered to the other side of the chair, slamming the steel object into his forehead, knocking him unconscious.

Sequel straightened his jacket and turned back towards the action. His eyes narrowed on one figure in particular, a giant seven foot ninja, just getting to his feet, even if Kevin had not recognized the man by his size, Equilibrium's mannerisms were a dead giveaway. Sequel cracked his knuckles and walked towards the big man. Another ninja dashed at Sequel, and without even breaking stride, Sequel grabbed the man, kneed him in the crotch, and backhanded him across the face, knocking him aside.

Sequel continued on towards the giant, now at his feet, and the young man dressed in regal attire before him. Suddenly a girl with red hair dashed in front of him, and struck a blow so powerfully delivered that Sequel had to back-flip away from her to avoid it. Sequel's mind worked quickly, she was definitely not on the side of the ninjas, but she was still in the way, the solution: take her down.

"You shouldn'ta done that," Sequel smirked, "A stuffed shirt little girl like you obviously isn't the combat type. And a guy like me has been fighting for so long it's the only life I know. I'm the game, the one to beat, so do yourself a favor and step outta the way."

The red head just smiled slyly, staying in a defensive stance. Sequel frowned, this was growing irritating. He feinted an attack just to show he meant business. The red-head dodged nimbly and the two faced off again, "I've been in a few life-or-death struggles." Then her voice came in Sequel's head _"Can you top being a monster's meal for years?"_

Sequel dropped his guard, momentarily, surprised. It was a moment too long. The attack came hard from behind, a hard driven blow right between the shoulder blades. Sequel crumpled to the floor, barely able to move. Sequel looked up to see a tall balding man carrying a light fixture, "The... Helll..?" Sequel managed to say before the older man drove the light fixture into his face.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IX. Balam**  
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Balam tossed another ninja against the side of the wall, knocking several others aside with the force of the blow. Their numbers were thinning out now, many of the ninjas had retreated. Balam looked around nervously. Where was Sequel? Had he found Canon? Who had survived? It was then that she saw it, a older man in regal attire ran at Sequel taking a hard strike at Kevin in the back, right between the shoulder blades. Kevin lurched forward and collapsed, fighting unconsciousness as he sprawled on the floor. Then the second attack came, right between the eyes. Balam turned, growling deep in her throat as she faced the new opponents. With less than a sprawl, she raced over to Sequel's side, chasing off those around him with the ferocity of a jungle cat.

Yvette cautiously approached the fifteen foot tall cat-girl, standing over the unconscious biker. Balam growled ferociously but made no other aggressive movements. Yvette paused for a second in front of the large cat-girl, a look of determination on her face, _"Don't mess with me Ixbalamque,"_ she said psionically.

Balam blinked, but never broke her defensive stance. "How did you know my name?" she said harshly in a half whisper. Yvette didn't answer but instead moved over to the unconscious Sequel. She placed a hand on his head and checked his eyes, then she turned to Balam and said psionically, _"He'll be alright, he doesn't seem to have a concussion."_

Balam began to shrink down to her normal size, still in a somewhat defensive stance, "You let him get away." Balam said.

Yvette looked around, the ninja's had all seemed to have retreated, and the audience was long since gone, "Who?" she asked.

Balam turned to Yvette and said grimly, "Evil itself."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
X. Rich**  
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Richard Cale looked on as the ninjas fled. This was a disaster. He had a bad feeling he knew who they were. He then looked over the whole stage. It was a wreck. He looked over at one of the cameramen who apparently was still filming. He just looked at him and psyonicly said, _"Shut it off."_ He watched as the cameraman just shut the camera off and stepped away. With all the chaos that happened, the man would probably doubt it actually happened. He then saw Henry Stauf standing near. Darrett had broken the main order, 'Don't use your powers.' But then after what the cat-girl had done, Rich just stopped and said, "Emma is gonna be pissed at this."

He motioned the others over and Everett was the most frantic. He looked at them and said, "I think this was the Hand. They captured Jubilee. They.."

Rich held up his hand and said, "...had help. I've never heard of a Japenese man getting to be seven foot tall. Besides, that tall man wasn't Japenese. I saw something. He works for someone, and I saw some of the same images Yvette saw earlier. He's linked to our spies." He then looked around the room. He was looking for the spies, but only saw one, cowering in a corner.

Darrett then said, "Well, maybe those other two know something." Rich looked at him quickly and Darrett knew what was wrong. Rich knew Darrett broke the standing rule, and the boy said, "I'm sorry. I couldn't let that nut do anything. He had a gun, and I thought Henry wouldn't stand out as X would have."

Rich was about to say something when he thought of the only X that wouldn't be phased by a gun. Rich just said, "Good thinking, now dismiss Henry. We need to do a fall back and regroup." Rich turned to see Kaga was stunned, and not too thrilled at what had happened.

Rich's interpreter was there, and Rich walked up to them, with Yvette next to him. He then heard Kaga say, "What has happened to Kitchen Arena? What is the cause of all this?"

Rich had a feeling he knew, but he had to put it the best way he could. He said, "I think a group of ninja's were after someone in my group. One of them is missing. I have a feeling someone over there knows about it." He pointed over at the cowering man.

He watched Kaga frown and say, "Kanagawa. I did not think he would dishonor himself this way. And what of the mutant, is she part of the attack on you?" He didn't know where Kaga standed on the mutant issue, but Rich was going to try and sway him.

Before he said anything, he heard Yvette say, "I don't think so. She was fighting some of the Ninja's. She may know something about who organized this. If you don't mind, sir, we'd like to see if she can help us save our friend."

He watched as Kaga nodded and said, "Very well. She may be helpful. I shall ask Kanagawa what he knows. I do want to tell you that your chef won. He beat my French and Italian chef, and the combo dish sealed it for him. He is very talented. I wish you luck on rescuing your friend." He watched as Kaga turned and headed over to Kanagawa.

Rich just said, "Nice save, now who are our mystery mutants?" He looked at the two of them, a cat-girl and a biker. They were an odd combination. There had to be something to them.

Yvette just said, "The girl's name is Ixbalamque, but I think she might go by Balam. The boy is still a mystery, but I don't think he's afraid to die. Something in the way he talked."

Rich nodded and motioned Clarice over. He said, "We need to get back to the apartment quick. When we all get out of sight, Blink us back there." He watched as Clarice nodded. He then walked over to Balam and the othe one and said, "Ixbalamque, I hope you are ok. My name is Richard Cale. I'd like to thank you and your friend for help, but I must ask for your help." He watched as she cocked her head, glancing at him almost as a cat would. He just mentally said to Yvette, _"It's like I'm talking with Grimore."_

He heard Yvette say back, _"But Grimore talks back."_

He then said to Balam, "You two were trying to help us, and in the confusion, we didn't know. We need your help to find our friend, and why we were attacked. If your friend needs care, my company can offer it. My company is for the betterment of the world. I have a feeling you know who is to blame, who is at the center of this."

Rich watched as Balam looked first at the man, and then up at him and said, "We will help you. But, I don't know if Kevin will agree with that."

Rich nodded and said, "It's ok. I'll talk with him about it. Let me help you with him." Rich walked over and helped get Kevin up, but he soon regretted it. He felt Kevin's power enter his being, and with it, Kevin's memories. It was frighteing, terrifying, and horrifying. This boy had died countless times, but kept coming back. It was scary. When they got him up, Rich just said, "I don't want to seem mean, Balam, but I think I might want Kevin to wait in a seperate room., with two of my friends watching him. I don't want him to do anything drastic."

He watched as Balam nodded, as though the thought was expected, and said, "I understand." He saw a smile cross her face. Maybe he had found two new friends in this whole chaos. If that was the case, maybe they might join Gen X one day, but for now, Blink had to get them back to the company, and fast.


	89. Regroup With New Allies

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Iron X

Regroup With New Allies

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett stood in the room, looking at the guy in front of him. He had come to a little while ago. Now, he was acting like he was some Hollywood hot shot. Clarice was standing next to him, looking at the guy and said, "Who does he think he is?"

He watched as the man stared at him and Clarice, calmly and cooly. Finally after several minutes he spoke up, "Hey Junior." he said, "get me a pack of cigarettes and a cold beer will you? I've got one hell of a hangover to get rid of."

Darrett just looked at him and said, "How about you tell me who you are first?" He didn't like this guys attitude at all, plus the fact that he tried to fight Yvette didn't set well with him either. Months ago, he wouldn't have cared, but now, it was different.

Clarice then said, "Besides, if Darrett hadn't stopped you, we might have had to treat you for lacerations." He knew what Clarice was hinting at. Yvette could have used her ability and cut this guy royally, and with Jubilee missing, that was not a good idea.

He glared at Clarice with a cold cocky arrogance, "Don't try mind games with me sister, believe me you're not even in my league." he said with a smirk.

Darrett looked at the guy and said, "Listen pal, if you think we are playing games, I'll give you a game." At that point a jellyfish like creature appeared in the room. The thing just hovered in front of the man and he said, "Very simple. You tick me off, it gets angry. When it get's angry, you pay."

"Okay, jelly fish now? Am I hopped up or what?" Darrett watched as the guy paused for a second to give a glare at him, "Okay, Junior, I'll bite. What the hell is that supposed to do?" That was it. This guy seemed to have no respect for the situation, or what was capable of happening.

He heard the door open and saw Rich come in, with Grimore at his heels. Rich just looked at him and said, "Send it back, Darrett." It was obvious by Rich's tone that he had over stepped his bounds.

Darrett sent it back and said, "Rich, I was just trying to..." He saw the glare Rich gave him. That was not a good sign. He then said, "Sorry to over react."

Rich just nodded and said, "Listen, Henry was a chance right now. The Metroid was way out of line. Now, I need to speak with Kevin for a bit. He may help us. As for now, wait outside. I'll let Clarice stay here just in case." He nodded. He knew that Rich was right. He was taking chances and now they needed very little to go wrong. At least he now knew the guys name, as he left the room.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Kevin**  
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Sequel sat back his head still ringing, feeling as though it was stuffed with cotten. he needed something to take his mind off the stinging in his head, and he damn sure wasn't going to get it. He didn't expect it though. These people saw him as a threat... to be honest Sequel liked that, fear brought respect he'd always thought, and no one yet had seemed to comfortable with him being there. Nonchalantly, Sequel looked up at this new face that entered the room, "Hey man," he said casually, "there's just one thing I've got to know?"

The new guy looked at him and say, "I'll make you a deal, tell me what I need to know, I'll tell you."

Sequel leaned back "Alright man, what do you need to know."

The new guy nodded and said, "Okay, Kevin. What do you know about who is is behind this?"

Kevin grinned, "Ah, so your looking for him too. He noticed a gaze that said go on. "he's the devil, my friend." He went on shifting to a more comfortable position, "Aka Eric Chailotte, Douglas Coulhane, Anthony Culig, Robert DiSalle, Glenn Dolbeare, Roger Florentine, Bruce Heltemes, David Hunnel, Jean Leveque, Thomas Martinette, Christopher Namms, Steve Radell, Mark Remley, Vincent Renuad, Pierre Rodarte, Michael Stormes, you get the idea, he uses a lot of names, but you'll know him best by the name Canon." Kevin stretched his neck and continued, "and he works for a lot of different governments, or rather he runs a lot of different governments." Kevin looked straight at Rich, "I've been gunning for him as long as I can remember, I've taken down some of his stongholds and a few of his lackeys, but never the man himself." Kevin went silent for a moment as a solomn look came over his face. "And if he had some reason to go after your friend, than God help her cause believe me, I can tell you first hand, she's going to need it."

Rich looked at him and said, "So you think Canon might be behind my teammate's disappearence. Why her, Kevin, or is it me he's targeting?"

"The hell should I know, I don't know you people. If you got something he wants he's gonna take it. if he thinks you're in the way he'll mow you down."

Rich quietly said, "So that's the piece"

Kevin raised an Eyebrow, "Piece"

Rich looked at him and said, "I believe your foe has been tracking me for some reason since I got to Japan, Kevin. And I may need your help"

Kevin Shrugged, "Sure, it'll kill some time."

He watched as Rich asked him, "Do you have any questions?

"Yeah, one." Kevin said sitting forward, a look of utter seriousness on his face, "Can I get a fuckin' beer? I've got a hangover that could bring down a sasquatch."

Rich looked him in the eye and said, "If you have a hangover, I'll have someone fetch you some coffee. Black. I don't allow alcohol on company premises."

Kevin grumbled, "This has been a hell of a day, I get my brains scrambled by a steel chair, I'm forced to go sober, not to mention that lame attept to scare me with a frggin jellyfish."

Rich looked at him and frowned. "Consider yourself a tough guy. Someone everyone should be scared off?"

Kevin shook his head. "It ain't the fear I'm looking for pal just the respect." he paused for a second and then added, "but I'm still a badass, and as far as you should be concerned, the one and only showstopper."

Rich looked at him and said, "So, what you are saying is that anyone in his right mind would be wise to be afraid of you."

Sequel glared back at Rich, "What I'm saying is anyone in his right mind would be wise to respect me. I don't stand for disrespect."

Rich glared back at him, with a stern look in his eyes. "And you expect respect for being a badass that comes back from the dead. Is that the case, Mr. Dallas?"

Kevin just grinned, but his left eyebrow raised, "And who the hell told you about that?"

Kevin watch as Rich raised his hand, just to eye level and said, "Because Kevin, you told me back at the studio, after you went unconscious."

Kevin Shook his head, "Sorry Rich, Wrong answer, you want to go into the bonus round where the scores can really change?" Kevin sniffed, "I don't talk in my sleep, I know that. Don't jerk me around."

Rich said, "Did I say you said it verbally, Kevin. You see, I'm a mutant who can mimic other mutants, and in the process, their personalities and some of their memories. If I hold an ability for too long it becomes permanent." With those words, he watched as Rich's hand became a claw.

Kevin's face maintained it's stone cold fasaud, but deep inside he felt surprise. Somehow Kevin didn't expect he'd be up against another mutant, he was even more surprised to be up against a mutant that could read his mind when most others couldn't. Kevin didn't like suprises, but he could run with them. Kevin looked at Rich and chuckled, "I kinda like the idea of me not being the one and only 'deadman'. Put ere there, 'Brother'."

Instead of a handshake, Kevin was stunned to get push back down into the chair. Rich's eyes had turned into a pure brown color as he said, "As far as I know, you are the only 'deadman'. I've felt your powers, and I hate them. If you think you get respect from me because of that alone, you are mistaken. You'll have my respect if you help me rescue my friend and find out why this fellow is targeting me. I can tell you what you earned from me this day. You have earned my pity, because your power gives you eternal torment. You never get to die, and you will never find peace. And one day, you well return to life only to die in an instant. Then what will you do. And before you tell me of a dream, let me give you a few words. These were said by Kira in 'The Dark Crystal'. 'Prophets don't know everything.' Now, once we find my friend, we will find your foe. You help us, we will help you."

Kevin shifted in his chair, "Alright, but I'll need a gun." Kevin gave Rich an evil look, "the psycho you're looking for made me a sure on shot, and I was rejected. Just think of who he's kept on his payroll, hell, just... just try to imagine the pumped up freaks you'll be going up against."

Rich just smiled and said, "With Darrett, he can get us an army. Besides, he hired the ninjas, and I think they maybe causing him a few problems. Plus, from what I could gather from the big guy, he's the only 'pumped up freak' here in Japan. As for a gun, I don't want someone getting shot by mistake. If you need a gun, you get a stun gun. I don't want anyone dead."

"I have a pair of modified pistols, they only fire riot bullets... no death's but my own."

He watched Rich nod as he said, "Alright, when we find our teammate, we go. You have to follow my orders. And if you feel the need to kill Canon, surpress it until I find out why. Understood?"

"I'm not one for following orders... however," Kevin paused for a second, "I'll give you my word to let you find out what you need to know before Canon draws his final breath... that good?"

Rich just nodded and said, "Good. Now I need to check on the search. Maybe I can repay you and Balam for the help somehow." Rich turned and left the room, and Kevin noticed the cat following him out the room.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Grimore**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Grimore followed Rich out of the room, and could tell his master was bothered by the fellow named Kevin. As they headed from the room, Grimore looked at Rich and said, "Something bothering you about this lad, sir?"

Rich just continued walking and said, "It is his attitude. He's ready to do anything to stop this Canon fellow, and I'd appreciate the help, but I'm not sure if it's the kind of help we need."

Grimore continued to follow Rich, puzzled by the new name, although he had heard it mentioned by Kevin. "Who exactly is this Canon fellow?" It was the most important question that he had at the moment.

Grimore was surprised and the responce to his question. A female voice said, "No one knows entirely who or what Canon is, but from all I have seen and all Kevin has told me he is a very very dangerous man."

This startled him, and he could tell Rich was startled as well. Soon, he heard Rich say, "Imbalamque, can I ask who you were just talking to?" Grimore was hoping the strange girl wasn't talking to him, but he had a feeling she was, due to the cat ears he saw on her.

She just casually lifted her arm and pointed to him and said, "Him." Grimore was more stunned than anything else, but he had to know.

He looked at her and said, "Then can you tell us two things." He sat and twitched his tail and said, "One, what do you know about this Canon fellow, and two, how can you speak with me?" He was sure to find this an enlightening converstation.

Before she could begin, he heard Rich say, "And do you have another name we can call you?" He had to admit, with her name, it would be difficult to say that all the time.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Balam**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Balam's left ear twitched, "I was raised in the rainforest," she said to the cat, "among the animals, I know how to speak to them," she turned her head to Rich, "and sometimes find it hard to understand when you humans cannot." She cocked her head, "As for my name, few human's have been able to pronounce my real name, my first Human name was Ixbalamque, but now most people call me Christina."

She watched as Rich looked at her and said, "Well, in my defense, Christina, only Yvette and I are able to understand Grimore, but that is more along the lines of magic. That's why we were taken back by you speaking with Grimore. Now, what do you know about Canon?

She looked at Rich and said, "Canon is someone I don't know much about, He has more names than Kevin and I are aware of, and he's been around much longer than anyone I know of. He has a lot of powerful people working for him, and he seems to have the power to talk anybody into doing about anything." Balam paused for a second, "I'm afraid of what might happen if Kevin does meet up with him again, I don't think even he understands What Canon can do."

She noticed that Grimore was surprised when Rich asked something she wasn't sure how he knew about it. "Christina, I think we stumbled on him earlier, but when we did a psi-scan, something that came up was the number 7. Why?"

"Asylum 7," Balam replied, "it's the organization Canon runs... designed to make powerful mutants stronger." Balam paused again, "Kevin was a test subject there." She looked between Rich and Grimore, "Now what's a psi-scan?"

She could see that the news of Asylum 7 had shaken up Richard, and Grimore said, "A psi-scan is a way telepaths use to check the area. Yvette probably did the psi-scan and relayed the info to Richard. Yvette might not have been noticed since her psi abilities are a bit different than most mutants. Do you know any of Canon's names, that we may be able to find him?"

Balam shook her head, "Kevin knows more about Canon than I Do, But most of the names he uses sound French, I've heard Kevin refer to him as Renuad, Chailotte, Leveque..."

She noticed Rich almost openned his eyes wide as she said the names, and he said, "Christina, what does Canon look like?"

Balam thought about it for a moment and said, "He's a tall blonde haired man, Well over six feet, and he has red eyes."

She watched as Rich just nodded and said, "He was at the airport when we arrived. Yvette even picked up on the eyes. He must of hired 'The Hand', but why, and was the abduction of Jubilee part of his plan, or just something that went wrong. Grimore, I'm going to find out the progress of the search. Christina, I may need your help in rescuing Jubilee. Kevin agreed to help, but I hope he shows me he doesn't have to fight without thinking." She watched as Rich ran off, and then face Grimore and wondered how this would turn out.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette sat next to Everett as they concentrated on finding Jubilee. Ever since the abduction, she could tell he was upset. She knew he cared alot for Jubilee, and this was going to be a real test for him. She had decided to help him in the search. She still had the link set in her mind, and that might help them find her. As she focused on the link, she heard Everett say, "Anything yet, Yvette?" She could hear some concern in his voice.

She kept her focus and said, "Not yet, but I think I might have found one thing. I think the one spying on us is there. I think he may be the mastermind in this little escapade." She didn't dwell on him for long, but she felt Jubilee was there. Soon enough she felt her 'sister's scared mind. She just said, "Ev, I think I found her."

Soon she focused on Jubilee and said, _"Jubilee, are you alright? It's me, Yvette. We are trying to locate you. Do you know where you are?"_

She heard her friends voice full of terror as she said, _"No Penny. I can't see a thing. I can't ever hear anything. It's like there is nothing around me. I'm scared. Please find me."_

Yvette was scared for her 'sister'. What was happening to her was awful, and she didn't want to leave Jubilee alone. She then heard Everett say, _"Jubilee, it's me. I'm trying to find you with my aura, once we know where you are, we can find you. Don't worry, I stay with you in mind. I'm sending my Aura out now."_ She watched as Everett's Aura shot out. Soon, they would know where to go.

She then said, _"Jubilee, I'm giving Everett control, he'll lead us to you. Hang in there."_ She then said to Everett _"Let us, know when you know."_ She stood up and left the room, and walked over to her husband.

He looked at her and said, "Any word?"

She nodded and said, "We found her, but she seems to be in a limbo of sorts. I think it might be some sort of sensory deprivation." She saw him frown and said, "Do we know who's behind this."

She watched as Rich nodded and said quietly, "I think it's the french ambassador. It's one of Canon's aliases. However, it's my nightmare that makes me think he is just a patsy. I think Adrienne is at the root of this."

Yvette felt a slight ping at her mind. She knew it was Everett. She just said, "We have a location. We better hurry."

She watched as Rich nodded and said, "Alright, it's time to roll out." She watched as he put on his fake glasses and said, "Sequel, Balam, get a move on. It's time for Canon to fall. Blink, time to lose the hologram. Penance, prepare to tense up. Synch, show us the way. Darrett, get some Garthim ready. Let's move." As they headed out, she watched as he grabbed his sword.

As they neared the vehicle, she said, "Do you have a plan, Skitz?" She could tell the others were looking at him as well. This wasa dangerous advesary they were going up against, and she could tell that from the psi-scan.

She then heard Skitz say, "Yes I do. Blink, Sequel and I will go after Canon. Synch, you lead the group to rescue Jubilee. That will be you, Penance, Darrett and Balam. Remember, we are dealing with ninja's and an unknown foe to most of us. Darrett, do you have some Garthim ready."

She heard Darrett say, "I do, Skitz, and can I have a codename?" She was surprised by this request. All this time, Darrett never asked for a codename. She watched as Skitz nodded and Darrett said, "Mancer. Sort of fits, don't you think?" Yvette had to admit, it reflected his ability. Now they had to save Jubilee.


	90. Truth Revealed

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Iron X

Truth Revealed

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Bob**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

This was not good. Bob Bonega had flown to Japan on Canons request, at the use of Asylum Seven's corporate jet, designed off of the concord. It didn't take him long to get here. But had Bonega known the situation he would have found some reason to stay home. Canon and Bob were inside the Takanaki towers, two huge buildings that disguised 'The Hand's' current base of operations. As he and Canon took the elevator to 'The Hand's' lair, beneath the buildings basement. Bob could feel Canon's rage radiating from the huge man. Canon never appeared angry. Even when Canon was about to kill a man he was always calm. But Canon's eyes could not hide his rage, and Canon's eyes held an intense amount of fury. This was not good.

The doors opened and Canon stepped into the wide halls of the Hands' stronghold. Canon walked down the hallway into a wide open room where he heard angry Japanese voices resounding off of the walls. The voices were countered by a louder deeper voice with an American accent. As Canon stepped into the room all the voices went quiet, the only sound was that of Canon's boots against the floor. Canon casually walked up to the group of ninjas and stopped, overlooking the whole group, including Equilibrium, still dressed in his Ninja attire. Canon inhaled through his nostrils reached out and grabbed a ninja and punched him as hard as he could in the face. The ninja flew against the adjacent wall, crumpling to the floor with blood pouring out of his nose.

"Gaijin Dog!" shouted the lead ninja drawing his sword, several ninjas followed suit.

"Put your weapons away." Canon commanded, never raising his voice. Several ninjas dropped their swords. Most put them back in their sheaths. Bob gulped. Canon was using his powers... it was all over now. "You have brought dishonor to yourselves." Canon went on, "I made specifications and they were not abided by. I made guidelines and they were not followed. I made rules and they were broken. You are a disgrace."

"Leveque-san..." A voice timidly spoke up. Canon looked towards the owner of that voice and the ninja's eyes dropped.

"Do you want my mercy?" Canon said as he approached the Ninja. The ninja's surrounding the one moved away from him, fearing their lives. "You will not have it." Canon stopped in front of the ninja. "Where is she?" the ninja froze for a moment and pointed to a corner of the room. In the corner was a large sensory deprivation tank. Canon walked over and placed his hand on the large container, "Is she unharmed?" The room was silent. "Answer me, Dammit!"

"She is uninjured."

Canon turned, "Hear me now, if you value your lives you will tell me what you plan to do with her."

The lead ninja looked up with an angry look on his face, "What we will do with her is none of your concern." Canon's eyes fell upon him and he staggered back, "G...Genosha... she's going to Genosha..."

"And why is that?"

"They...they have plans for a new type of Sentinel... She is to be the power source..."

Canon's right eyebrow raised, "I see." He motioned towards Equilibrium and the giant rose to follow him. Canon walked back towards the hallway as Equilibrium and Bonega followed him. He stopped and turned slightly back towards the ninjas, "May God have mercy on your souls."

The three stepped into the elevator and Canon turned to Bonega, "Bob, I think it's time you told me where you got your information."

Bob's pulse raced and sweat ran down his forehead, "Wh...what? Sir I...I..."

"Don't lie to me, Bob, I of all people would know something is amiss here." Canon leaned down to look Bob right in the eyes, "Who?"

"I...don't know... what you're..."

"I'm growing impatient." Canon's red eyes flared, "Don't make me force it out of you."

Bob turned his head and sighed, "Frost... Adrienne Frost." He looked back up at Canon, "But you have to believe me this was forced upon me, I would never..."

"I believe you Bob." Canon stood up straight again, "It appears I'll have to pay Miss Frost a visit. In the meantime, Equilibrium, you disobeyed my orders and there will be repercussions, but if you have desire to save face you can."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The vehicle pulled up outside the building Synch had led them to. Mancer looked out and said, "I think the Garthim will work here. Wouldn't you say, Skitz?"

He watched as Skitz got out of the vehicle and look at the building. He wasn't sure why, but Skitz decided to take on Blink's powers. He wondered if it had anything to do with Sequel, but decided to look past it. He then heard Skitz say, "Better knock first. They should know we're here."

He nodded and said, "Understood." Soon, ten of the bug-like Garthim appeared and crashed into the doors. With that, the mission had begun, and they all entered.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Canon**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

There was a crash outside the elevator and the elevator car shook a little. Canon never moved, "It seems we may have made some powerful enemies today." Canon said finally, "Equilibrium, it seems you have been presented with a chance to redeem yourself. I will need you to act as my bodyguard for the remainder of my time here in Japan, which will be very short."

"Understood sir, none shall lay their eyes on you with so much as distaste without serious consequences."

"Just do as you're told." Canon shook his head, then he turned to Bonega, "Bob I want you to set up an interception mission and retrieve the girl as they are shipping her to Genosha, and while you are doing that I want you to assemble the rest of the EOC and inform them about the Hand. I don't want any of them to forget the line they crossed today." Canon looked forward and sniffed, "This is far from over."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Everett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Synch watched as they entered the room. With the ten Garthim, he knew that everyone would know they were there. He then noticed that the elevator was moving. He looked over and said, "You think they are upstairs?"

He heard Skitz say, "What does your aura say?" He check for a moment, and realized Jubilee was downstairs. Then Skitz said, "Someone is fleeing."

He heard Sequel then say "Rats always leave a sinking Ship."

Skitz just said, "I guess Canon was never a captain."

Almost in responce, he heard Sequel say, "It's him."

Skitz then said, "Get down and rescue Jubilee. We'll handle Canon". With that, the three blinked out of sight.

He then said, "Let's go. Penance, keep in touch with them, but be ready to get Jubilee out." Soon he saw the familiar form of Henry Stauf appear and he said, "Hope you have a weapon?"

He watched as the figure handed him a sword and said "You may have mine. I always have a spare." Soon, the headed down the steps in the direction of Jubilee.

It took them no time to reach the level, since none of the Hand seemed to know they were there yet, but if they did, they had to get past the Garthim. As they entered room, the Hand had taken on most of the Garthim, but some stayed near a large tank. That was were Jubilee was. He just said, "Get to the tank. Jubilee's in there."

Soon, he heard a growl and Balam jumped into the room. He had seen it before, but this time was more impressive. She grew to the size of a large bear, yet in cat form. Those member's of the hand that weren't occupied were knocked away by a 'paw'. He then saw Penance make a bee-line for the tank. He saw some Hand members get in her way, only to be cut by one of her claws. As she neared the tank, he heard one of the members say, "Stop her. The girl must go to Genosha."

When he heard those words, Everett let loose. He launched plasma blasts in waves. He said, "She's not going anywhere." Soon, most of 'The hand' were on their backs. Balam had stopped moving, and Mancer just blinked.

He looked over at Penance to see she had sliced open the tank, and Mancer had gotten there with Henry. The two were helping Jubilee out. He saw Mancer smile and say, "She's ok, and 'The Hand' are running."

Synch looked around and saw that was true. 'The Hand' was fleeing. He ran over, as Balam shrunk back to normal size and said, "Let's get Jubilee out of here. Any word from Skitz?"

He watched as Yvette had a shocked look on her face, and she finally said, "H-h-he's f-f-facing h-h-him a-a-alone, w-w-with h-h-his s-s-sword."

He looked over at Balam who had gasped. She then said, "I hope luck is with him." When he heard that, he hoped Skitz would survive.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Equilibrium**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Equilibrium walked through the hallways of the Takanaki Towers with his master, Canon, and Canon's advisor Bob Bonega. Bob was on his cell phone calling for a helicopter; meanwhile the entire building seemed in a chaos. Every now and again more ninjas appeared and rushed past them, to join the battle on the floors below. Canon paid no attention to them, however, and continued casually towards the roof of the building.

Finally the three came to a large hallway leading up to two large double doors canon paused at the beginning of the hallway and Equilibrium and Bob Bonega stopped behind him, "Equilibrium." Canon announced, "It's time to earn your keep." With that Canon continued on down the hallway as Bob continued nervously behind him.

Equilibrium turned and stared down the other end of the hall to see three figures. Two of which had unusual skin tones… it was them. Equilibrium ripped his shirt off to display his enormous muscles, raised his arms in a taunting fashion and shouted, "Lest you be brainless, suicidal, or purely mad, my advice to you would be to withdraw now while you can walk away uninjured with breath still in your body!"

Rich shouted back at him, "Trying to make up for brains by using big words you don't even understand."

"Your taunts to me are no more than that of a barking dog behind a fence." Equilibrium returned, "You have no comprehension of what you are privileged to witness, I am, in all respects, beyond perfection. Whereas you little people have so much more to stride to to even earn the right to accurately refer to yourselves as 'Homo-superior.'"

"Perfection my ass," Sequel smirked, "You're one step above a gorilla with a bad haircut. A slow, un-motivated, half-witted, monkey of a man."

Equilibrium frowned, "indeed." He began to rush at the three, "Perhaps you'd like to witness how slow and unmotivated I am!" as Equilibrium thundered down the hall Skitz, Blink and Sequel braced for attack. Suddenly as Equilibrium neared the group, Sequel dodged underneath the giant's legs, and Skitz and Blink disappeared into thin air. Equilibrium turned around to face Sequel, his nostrils flaring with rage, "I am unamused." He said, then he struck out.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Clarice**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

When they reappeared, Blink noticed they were standing at the same point in the hall that Equilibrium had left. She turned to see he was focused on Sequel. It looked like the world's most famous mis-match. She turned to Skitz and said, "I'll help Sequel, if you think that's best."

She watched as Skitz nodded and said, "Yes. I'll handle Canon, and if Sequel is injured at all, no matter what, we take him back. It's his power. He always comes back." She watched as he ran in the direction opposite of the fight. Obvoiusly, Canon was at the far end of the hall.

She then turned to the fight to hear Sequel shout, "Come on you maladjusted, over hyped throw-back from the Stone Age, give me your best show! Try swinging a little Harder Cro-Magnon man!" He was trying to entice and attack. If it was to allow Skitz and her to get to Canon, it might work. She started to head back to the fight when it happened.

Equilibrium threw a blow, and Sequel dodged. but then he was hit by a wind attack, launching him back down the hall and slamming him into a wall. "Do I still appear to be on the low end of the evolutionary scale?" Equilibrium sneered, "Where is your sharp wit now? Has it followed you to unconsciousness?"

She was afraid Sequel was dead. She looked at the giant and said, "Hey, stupid. Why don't you try to fight someone who can take you on, or are you too scared to stand up someone who has fighting skill?" She readied herself for what ever the attack would be. Depending on it, that would dictate her move.

Equilibrium's brow furrowed. Large pieces of the wall and floor began to crumble and float off of the surfaces they were built on to, and then launch at blink with a forcefull speed. "You dare speak to me of fighting skill. I have been trained for years by the best of the best. I am unequalled in powers and physical ability!"

Blink openned up a portal right in front of her just as the chunks reached her. Soon, a second portal openned up in from of Equilibrium, and the chunks flew at him. As they appeared she just said, "Compare years to a lifetime, and you will come up short."

Equilibrium, roared as he threw powerful punch after powerful punch, deflecting the chunck hurling his way, or crushing them on impact. "I was born with ability. I have taken on the best and defeated the best! I am appareled, the best ever, and no little girl will disprove me on that fact!" Equilibrium lifted up off of his feet and flew down the hall, his shoulder extended as he tried to ram her like a runaway freight train.

Blink watched for a few seconds, waiting for the right moment. When he was almost on her, she teleported. Soon she was near Sequel as Equilibrium crashed into a wall. As he started to get free, she shouted. "If that's your best, you wouldn't last ten minutes where I'm from. You've never face an enemy like the one's I've faced."

Equilibrium didn't respond to Blink's taunts but instead began to walk down the hall towards his opponent, and angry scowl on his face. She waited, not knowing if she needed to blink. He wasn't using his power, but he was slowly sauntering down the hallway he broke stide once, rushed foreward, his massive hand clasmping around her throat, "Do not judge until I bring the pain!" with that he lifted her high into the air and let out a roar as he began the thrust her towards the ground.

When he grabbed her, she did the only thing she could do. She blinked them. Soon they were on a mountian outside of the city. He hadn't even reallized the change. As she felt him go to throw her, she said, "Tell me. If I can survive an attack by Apocolypse, what make you think you can take me down?" She heard a fierce primal yel come from his lips, as she slipped out of his hand. She was about to hit the ground as she smiled and thought of a taunt from a tv show. She smiled and said, "YOU ARE THE WEAKEST LINK. GOODBYE!" And she blinked again, this time to where they had started from, and without him.

After she hit the ground, she ran over to Sequel and said, "Are you alright Sequel?" She could tell he wasn't, but she hoped it wouldn't end up like Cartier had. Sequel tried to respond but just succeeded in caughing up blood. That wasn't a good sign, she had a feeling Sequel wouldn't be coming back. She then looked down the hall and said quietly, "I hope you hurry, Skitz. I don't think he'll make it."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Canon**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Canon waited on the roof for the helicopters to arrive. Behind him, the sounds of the fight took place behing him, several loud crashed and thuds. Finally there was one last crash and he heard Equilibrium's voice roaring in the background. The door closed behind him. Canon didn't even turn around, "Did you get a nice workout?" he smiled.

He lost his smile when an unknown voice just said, "Not really. There was a big oaf in the way, Ambassador Leveque."

Canon turned, his face remaining it's calm demeanor. He looked Rich over with his nose in the air as Bob Bonega cowered behind him, "So," He spoke after several moments of silence, "Richard Cale, I am to presume."

He watched as the young man looked at him and said, "Lord Richard Cale, since I did call you Ambassador, Ambassador Jean Leveque. Or should I address you as Canon, like Mr. Dallas does?"

Canon laughed a little, "I assure you there is no need for formality or melodrama, I will allow you to refer to me as Jean if you prefer."

He watched Richard Cale nod and said, "If you prefer first names, that I will honor that. However, you have gone to alot of trouble to get my attention. You could have always spoke with me through my company. However, I guess that would ruin your spying at the airport."

Canon's right eybrow raised, "You are indeed a perceptive young man. But I think you would do wise not to take me lightly. Equilibrium might be the type to underestimate you. I, however, am not."

Richard Cale nodded again and said, "I can tell that. I must say you must have done some work to protect your mind. All my wife managed to see were bits and pieces. I guess a man in your position would have to do that."

Canon frowned, "When mutants like you believe you have the right to invade any man's mental privacy I do believe it is neccisary. It appears all I have been told is true, Mr. Cale."

He watched a puzzled look crossed Mr. Cale's face as he said, "Normally, I wouldn't have even allowed that, but when a threat is made to my life, and possibly the students in my care, I will protect them, and if it means locating a threat, I will do what I have to." He watched as Richard Cale raised his sword and said, "Now, I want my student back, and some answers."

Canon began to unbutton his overcoat, "I do not respond well to threat, young mister Cale. I spoke before that I would not underestimate you, But you should be aware that you are at least a hundred years too early for me."

Underneath Canon's overcoat he was wearing a grey fighting shirt with mesh sleaves. Canon handed his coat over to Bob Bonega, who cautiously handed Canon his sword, "sir as your chief political advisor I must."

"Bob, I'm begining to tire from your advice. This is settled here and now." Canon unsheathed his sword. It was a long blade, Japanese Fashion, but with a handle designed off of a French fencing blade. Canon raised the sword and pointed it at Richard Cale, "The time for talk has ended, Mon ami, En Guard."

He watched as Rich nodded and said, "En Guard." Soon, the blade of the sword was alight with fire as he said, "We'll fight like men."

Canon stood, his sword at his side, his eyes focused on Skitz. Skitz stood, his sword ablaze, never shifting his gaze from Canon. Several moments passed as the two sized the other up... each one waiting for the other to make the first move.

Finally Canon raised his sword and brought it down with a tremendous force. Rich raised his sword and blocked the attack. There was a shower of sparks as the steel collided, and the two locked swords. Rich called forth all his might and began to push Canon back, taking step after step until finally Canon used all his force to shove back, knocking Rich to the ground. Canon circled Rich as Rich began to stand. "Up!" Canon Commanded.

This time Rich rushed at Canon swinging his sword with a powerful stroke. Canon blocked the attack with his sword, followed by the next and the next. Finally they locked swords again. The sound of steel on steel echoed throughout the rooftop as the two combatant struggled with their swords, the wind blowing wild around them. Finally Canon threw all his force into a shove again and knocked Rich to the floor. "Up!" Canon commanded again.

Rich stood up, raised his sword and the two dashed at each other, the swords clashed and the two turned, each throwing powerful blows each one blocking the other's quick strikes. Canon began to force Rich back with his quick artful strokes, then Rich began to force canon into retreat with his arcing swings again and again until finally Rich connected to Canon's sword with a powerful blow knocking the large man to the ground, "You fight very well, Ambassador, but I won't strike a man who is down." Rich yelled.

Canon stroked his beard as he stood, determined not to make another mistake in this duel. Canon circled Rich for a few moments, reassessing the situation. Finally he raised his sword and charged the swords clashed again as the duelist exchanged blows. "If you think you know me, you are wrong," Canon shouted in between strikes, "I've dealt with your kind before, And I've survived every time." Finally he delivered a kick to Rich's midsection.

Rich stepped back a few moments before charging Canon again hitting him with a shoulder thrust. "You have fought a Paladin before. I highly doubt that, or I would have know about you from my father." Rich swung his sword again and again, forcing Canon to block each powerful blow.

Finally Rich threw one last arcing swing and Canon called all his force to counter, the swords clashed, knocking each weapon out of the owner's hands. Each sword flew at the other's feet, "I will give you credit young man, I've not had a challenge like this in at least fifty years."

"Some of it is my skill, and some of it is yours. Thanks to my mutant power, and our close fight, I have pick up some of your skills and powers. In essense, you have been fighting yourself."

"Indeed, but it is time to end this." Canon replied, tossing Rich's sword back to him with his foot. Rich picked up his sword and tossed it to Canon. Canon grabbed his sword. Rich caught his. The two rushed each other, bearing down to take that final stroke. The swords clashed once, twice, high, low. Finally Canon brought his sword at Rich in an upstroke as Rich swung at Canon again with a powerful downward swing. The swords clashed, Canon's blade shattered. Canon fell backward to the ground, and began to get to his feet.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich stood there looking down at his opponent. During the fight, he realized what had happend, but he was sure Canon didn't realize it yet. Rich just said, "I think we are evenly matched, but I won't strike a man who is unarmed."

Canon looked up at him and said, "Well played," Canon smiled, "I have indeed been bested. You have fought well. You have my gratitude."

Rich nodded and gave him a salute. "And I salute you for being such a good fighter. However, Canon, one thing puzzles me, if you could honor me with an answer."

Canon nodded, "I will."

Rich reached down and helped Canon up as he asked, "How could an intellegent man like yourself be duped by Adrienne Frost?"

Canon frowned, "A man like myself gets his information from an inumeral amount of sources. I have to entrust someone to weed out the reliable information I get." Canon gave an uncomfortable glare to Bonega, who was still twitching like a nervous rabbit, "Appearantly there was some questionable decisions made that will have to be sorted out."

Canon looked back at Rich, "Now can you tell me something." Rich just noded. He didn't see the harm in answering the question, if it was the one he suspected. "Who, in actuallity, are you?"

Rich looked at Canon and said, "I am Lord Richard Cale, Jr. I title I earned after my father and mother was murdered by someone working for Apocolypse. Due to that, I even earned all of my parent's company, as well as some of the items in their care. That is were Adrienne Frost comes in. She wants some land, that if she were to get a hold of it, would spell the end for all of us. I think she was hoping you would kill me, so she could get what she wanted. And if you were wondering about why I have worn fake glasses, let's just say that someone preformed eye surgery on me that I knew nothing about."

"Mr. Cale... Rich, I can promise you that Adrianne Frost has done nothing but make a great enemy today, and you have earned nothing but my respect." Canon lifted his head for a moment, "Your students have been succesful in saving your friend, and so I'm afraid I must depart."

Rich nodded and said, "May the next time our paths cross, we are not of different sides. I know you are not truely evil, but time will tell if you follow the right path. Leave in peace, and know that Mr. Dallas and his associate will not know who you are. I will keep that secret for you."

Canon nodded, "Understood and indeed appreciated." He turned to Bonega, "Come along, Bob." Canon turned down the stairs as the sound of helicopters sounded in the background.

Rich watched his advesary leave, and turned back the way he came. This was a most unusual trip to Japan. He hoped there would be no more like this. As he approached Blink, he said, "How is Sequel?"

He watched as she shook her head and said, "He's dead. That muscle bound oaf killed him. What should we do?"

Rich just looked at them and said, "We blink downstairs. Sequel is just taking a time out. His power will revive him, but we must get back and head home." She nodded and soon they were in the lobby.

The second they arrived, everyone was overjoied to see them. Yvette ran up to kiss him, but Everett and Darrett had their hands full. He then heard Darrett say, "What happened up there?"

Rich just smiled and said, "Well, to put it plainly, the real mastermind of all this just made a very powerful enemy. I think Adrienne is going to have her hands full."

He heard Everett say, "You mean all this was Adrienne's sick plan."

Rich nodded and said, "At least we have all our people back, and we lost no one." He noticed that everyone was staring at the lifeless form of Sequel and Rich finally said, "Trust me, he'll be back. Christy, I want to thank you and Kevin, so what I'm going to do is allow you to stay in one of the company apartments, wherever you go in the world. You two will always have a place to follow Canon. Is that alright?"

Balam nodded, "Until I can talk Kevin out of it." she said sullenly, "One day he will die for good out of this vengeance for Canon, you have to know that."

Rich looked at her and said, "With his power, I hope you are right about that, but not in that way. Even he deserves peace when he gets it. Now, let's head home." With that, the whole group got into their vehicle and left. As they left, he hoped everyone would recover, and soon.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IX. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette had entered her husband's office back at the school. It had been a week since the incident in Japan. Luckily, Rich was able to get everything straightened out. Balam and Sequel were now living in the apartments. The mysterious Canon had disappeared, however, she knew Rich knew something. She watched as he was on the phone with someone. Soon, he hung up the phone and said, "Come on in, love. That was Balam. She called to let us know Sequel is up and moving. He's asking what happened to Canon."

She looked at him and just said, "What did you tell them?" She knew her husband would keep his word, even though the person he made the promise to tried to kill him.

She watched as he sat back and said, "Well, when he grabbed the phone, I told him that Canon and I fought to a stand still, and then Canon fled. He asked if I knew who Canon was, and I just told him that I had no clue."

Yvette sat down in a chair across the desk and said, "So you basically lied to him about that. I'm not surprised. How long do you think they will stay in Japan."

She watch as Rich thought about it for a moment, and finally said, "Depends on who wins the arguement. Balam would wait a bit, where Sequel would head right out."

She could sense he was worried about something. She walk over to his side and said, "What's bothering you, love?"

She was surprised when he said, "It's Sequel's power. He keeps coming back from the dead. That's not right. No one should have that curse. All he gets is a momentary peace. It's not fair to him. When I pass on, I want to know it would either be you waiting for me, or I'll be waiting for you." She looked into his brown eyes and kissed him. It was one of the sweetes things he had ever said to her.

When she ended the kiss, she smiled and said, "Care to know how Jubilee is doing?" He nodded and she said, "It's taking time, but Everett and I are helping her recover. Hopefully, when Emma gets back, she can help in the healing as well."

She heard Rich sigh as he said, "I hope Jubilee recovers soon. I know Emma would help, but she'll want to know what happened to put Jubilee in that state. I don't want to have to tell her what happended to Jubilee."

They both jumped when they heard Emma say, "What did happen to Jubilee?" She noticed they both turned to face Emma. She entered the room and said, "I just spoke with Darrett as the rest of us arrived. He said Jubilee was recovering from the trip. What exactly happened?"

She grabbed Rich's hand as he tried to think of the right words. Eventually, she said, "To make it simple, Emma, someone went after Rich. During the whole escapade, Jubilee got captured and was subject to a way to break her mind. We found her and rescued her."

Emma looked at the both of them and said, "Was this linked to all the problems you got before you left?" She watched as Rich nodded and Emma sighed. Soon, Emma said, "Any clue who the ringleader is?"

Before either could answer, she saw Daria run to the door and say, "Hey, you better put the news on. You won't believe it."

Almost on cue, Yvette saw Rich fumble with the remote as he turned on the news. Soon the anchorman appeared on the screen and said, "The business world was shaken today as Adrienne Frost was arrested for attempted murder. Apparently, she tried to hire a hitman to kill Richard Cale, current head of Paladin Techonologies."

Yvette soon saw the image of Agent Roivas on the screen as he said, "Ms. Frost had tried to contact a hitman, however the call was intercept and relayed to us. This has not been the first time Adrienne tried this stunt. We found evidence that she had contacted another hitman before this."

The anchorman reappeard on screen and said, "If tried and convicted, Adrienne may get life in prison or put to death. In other news...." The screen went off.

Emma just looked at them and said, "I take it Adrienne was behind this." Yvette nodded, as well as Rich and said, "Well then, maybe I should help with Jubilee. Anything else you'd like to share?'

Yvette and Rich walked over to her, and Yvette said, "We will tell you later. Right now, I think we should take care of Jubilee."

She watched as Rich nodded and said, "True. Jubilee needs more attention that the list of mutants we encountered. We'll tell you all about them when Sean gets back. No sense telling a long story twice." She laughed at Rich's words as they left the office.


	91. Unexpected Surprise

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Destiny

Unexpected Surprise

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

I. Claudette

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Claudette St. Croix entered the location as she had been instructed. Normally, she wouldn't go though all this, but she needed to. She didn't want to run the risk of being trapped in her sister's mind again. She now had a clone body to put her sister's mind in, all she needed was the science to get it there. That's why she contacted the Dark Beast. He could get her and her sister separated. In exchange, she promised Monet as a test subject, and to help his employer. She had a feeling who that was, but wasn't about to tell her minions. As they looked for the Dark Beast, she heard Q. T. say, "Where is our contact?"

Claudette looked around and said, "He will be here. He is probably telling the others of our arrival. If it is who I think it is, we will have to do whatever they want." She could see Q. T. was upset with that, but too much was at stake. She noticed Golden had the same upset look on his face. She gave him a devilish smile, and soon he perked up. They had worked out a system with that smile. It was a sign that his best behavior would be rewarded.

When she faced forward again, she saw the form of the Dark Beast heading towards them. She had to admit, if this was the first time she had seen him, the beast form was intimidating. She watched as she walked over to the clone and said, "So this is the future test subject. She looks acceptable. However, before we begin the process, some things need to be worked out."

She knew what was about to happen. She was expecting to see one person enter. She saw one figure at the door the Dark Beast came in at. The figure didn't move, but she had a feeling who it was as music entered the room. As the music played, she heard Q.T. say "What a minute, what the hell more do you need?" She knew someone would blast Q.T. for that one.

Soon, a blast came from the door as a figure she didn't expect to see entered. It was Soundwave. The mutant madman just looked at her and said, "Don't lash out again. The boss doesn't like it." She noticed a shocked look cross Golden's face, as well as Q.T.'s face. None of them had seen their host before, but they knew of him. She watched as Soundwave said, "Sorry, boss. That one got very uppity. She needed to be stopped."

Claudette heard the man behind Soundwave say, "It's alright. I shall ask this." She then saw Apocalypse enter the room. She was scared as well, but kept her bravery. She watched as he walked over to her and said, "Before you begin you new freedom. I need you to get Cale here. Once he's on his way, you can get separated from your sister. Do you have any questions?"

Claudette looked at Apocalypse and said, "My brother wants Yvette. I'll help you if you allow me to get Yvette to my brother. You can kill Rich, but I want Yvette for him." It was a bold move, but not too bold.

She watched as the Apocalypse smiled and said, "You're brother can have her, but only if she does not sire Richard an heir. If she does, she stays until either she is dead, or the heir is dead. Now, I hope you have a plan to get Cale here."

She let a smile cross her face. "I believe I do, and a way to capture him. However, it will take some doing. All we need to do is have Soundwave do a little terrorizing. Using his power, he can change his appearance, and we will call Cale here to stop Soundwave. I'll even have Q.T. call them, and disguise her voice."

She watched everyone smile and heard Dark Beast say, "I may have something ready for them. Now, if you set that in motion, I will help you with your problem." Claudette smiled and nodded to Q.T. who picked up a cell phone.

As Q.T. dialed, Claudette said, "Hide your voice. We don't want them to know its a trap." She then walked to the Dark Beast and said, "Let's get her out of my head." Very soon, Claudette would be rid of Monet, and never be trapped again.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

II. Yvette

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette got up when she heard the phone ring. It was the one thing that managed to wake her up this morning. She had awoken earlier, but she didn't feel well. Rich had told her to stay in bed, but she didn't know if it would help. There was only one thing that really bothered her now. The phone that was ringing was a special line. Very few people knew the number, and if they did call, something was up that only someone in Rich's position could handle. She went over the phone, picked it up and said, "Hello."

Soon a voice answered by saying, "Are you the wife of the Paladin?"

Yvette knew enough not to say her name. With the shaky ground they stood on, it was best not to say much. "This is she."

Before she could say anything else, the voice frantically said, "There is a monster in our town. It's destroying everything our town holds dear. We need help, immediately." Yvette started to wonder one thing. How did they know to call Rich, especially on that phone line. That number was only given out to those who needed it.

After a moment, Yvette wondered another thing, but she had to follow through. She just said, "Where are you located, ma'am?"

The voice seemed to hesitate. "I don't know if you'll know our town's name. We are about 50 miles north of Snow Valley, Massachusetts. I hope that is a help."

Yvette wrote down the directions, but thought about the voice. It sounded very familiar to her. Before she could respond, the person hung up. She hung up the phone and thought about the call. It did need immediate attention. All she needed to do was tell Rich. However, her stomach started to get upset again. It was starting to become an everyday occurrence. This was starting to worry her. Was she getting sick? It couldn't be with her healing factor. What was wrong with her. She had to think past it, and finally focused on the mind link. _"Rich, I think we have a problem."_

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

III. Rich

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich stood in front of the class. He looked out at the class and said, "Now, let's look at the assignment. I had asked each one of you to come up with a solution to a question. I made it cryptic, so you would have to think. The question was, 'How do you view nothing?'" He watched as many of them milled it over.

Soon, Jono spoke and said, "I would think that what you are saying is like what happened to my face. Nothing is there."

Rich looked at Jono and said, "OK Jono, let me ask you this. If there is nothing there, then explain the fire?" He watched as Jono started to say something, then stopped. "That fire is something. I asked for you to view nothing."

Soon, Everett said, "You mean like a hole. Is that what you mean?"

Rich shook his head and said, "Remember, a hole is something. What I asked is for you to describe nothing." It was a difficult question, but it challenged one to think. However, there was one right answer to the question.

Soon he heard Clarice say, "So what you are describing is a void. It has no air, color or substance." He watched as she smiled. He had a feeling she thought she had a right answer.

Rich then looked at her and said, "So this void, as you call it, would be nothing." He watched as she nodded, and then he said, "But if there is a void, wouldn't that be something?' Rich watched as the smile faded. He then said, "So far, we have heard many answers, all that took some thought. Can anyone give the most correct answer?"

He waited for about a minute until Mondo looked at him and said, "Rich, I tried looking at every idea, but I can't figure it out. I don't know how to describe it." Rich finally smiled, and Mondo looked at him and said, "You mean I'm right."

Rich nodded and said, "Exactly. This assignment was to get you all to think. Not think of the good answer, but think of a good answer, and why it can't be that." He saw a shocked look cross all the faces. Apparently, none realize the point of the assignment. Rich then said, "Let me guess, some of you stopped at the first idea that hit your minds. Remember, this is Creative Thinking. Don't stop at the first guess. Think about it, just in case there might be more. The faster you can think in these cases, think of how fast you can come up with plans in battle."

He was about to continue when he heard Yvette say, _"Rich, I think we have a problem."_ That wasn't good. Before he could prompt her for more, she said, _"Hun, someone called asking for the Paladin. There is a creature 50 miles north of here. She was frantic, but I think she was familiar. I think we have to leave right away."_

Rich inwardly cursed and then said, "OK class. For next time, I want you to think about this. Since we worked with describing nothing, how would you describe an illusion, in terms of all senses, not just sight. Then, figure out which sense will help you the most in that case. Class dismissed." He quickly grabbed his stuff and ran out the door. He didn't want anyone to know they had to leave, especially Clarice. After her, and Darretts stunt in Japan, they were grounded, unless it was a group mission. He was still trying to determine the best punishment. As he ran down the hall, his ability told him that Sean was close, but it wasn't until he ran into him that he knew how close.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

IV. Sean

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sean almost fell back when Rich ran into him, but stopped himself. He looked at Rich and said, "Lad, where are ye off to in such a hurry?" He knew that Rich would never run like that unless there was a problem. He was hoping that what ever the problems was, it was not an attack on the school.

He saw Rich look up at him and said, "Sorry sir, something came up."

He quickly grabbed Rich and said, "Lad, what is it? It must be something big that ye cut yur class short." He noticed a worried look cross Rich's face, and they he lowered his voice, "Is this something that affects the school?"

Sean watched as Rich calmed himself down and said, "Sorry Sean. It appears some sort of creature has appeared north of here. Yvette took the call, since they need my help as a Paladin. It must not be a big problem yet, but it is something I must do."

Sean looked at Rich and started to worry more. He looked at Rich and said, "Lad, I know ye have to do this, but ye should take someone with ye. I know this is one of yur duties, but since the whole incident with Cartier, do ye want to chance it being an encounter with Emplate?" He saw Rich shiver at the thought. He could tell that ever since Cartier's death, Rich was hoping that next encounter would never happen.

He watched as Rich had a grim expression cross his face as he said, "No Sean. I can't do that. The only person I'd take along is Clarice, and she's grounded right now. I'm still not sure on the final punishment." Now Sean saw the problem. The people most likely to go would be the people Rich grounded. When he heard of the stunt, he wasn't too pleased. He figured Rich would handle it well, but he himself wasn't sure. He watched as Rich said, "I don't want to toss them out of the school. They don't have anywhere else to go."

Sean stood their for a moment and handed Rich a small communicator. He then said, "If ye can't take anyone with you, at least take a comm unit with ye. I think everyone would feel better if we could keep in touch." He watched as Rich looked at him for a moment.

Soon, he saw the lad take the comm unit and say, "Ok Sean, but they better keep quiet, or have their end muted. I don't think we need people wondering about mysterious voices. Tell Emma where I had to go in a hurry." He watched as Rich ran down the hall. He knew Emma would not be thrilled by this, but this was something Rich and Yvette had to do. He then headed over to Emma's office.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

V. Emma

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emma sat in her office with many thoughts running through her mind. First there was the fact that Rich and Yvette might be leaving the school. Even now, the job he was offered was still on the table. Emma wasn't sure if he was going to go, and if so, when. Another was the threat of Emplate still being out there. That wasn't bad, but what made it worse was that they didn't know how powerful he had become. Of course, the fates of the students was also on her mind. If Rich were to leave, the school would have to close. This lead to the last of her worries. What to do about Clarice and Darrett? Their actions were inexcusable. She knew Rich had the final say, but she didn't know what he would do. Her thoughts were finally cut short when the phone rang. She picked up the phone and said, "Xavier's, Emma speaking."

Emma was almost startled when she heard Charles Xavier on the phone. "Hello Emma. I have some news for you. I would have told you telepathically, but this might be the better way. You've done well with Jonothan and Paige. When ever you feel they are ready, they can join the X-men."

It was good news. She smiled and said, "That is good news, Charles. I wish I could say it eases some of my worries, but it doesn't." She sighed and said, "In fact, we may be losing some students. Rich and Yvette may be leaving for England, and Clarice and Darrett might have to leave, period. They were caught breaking one of our most important rules."

She heard Charles sigh on the other end and say, "I see. I know you mean well Emma, but I hope you make the right choice."

She calmly said, "It's not wholly my choice, Charles. Rich is the one who caught them, and he is the one milling it over. He put them on suspended duties for a while, until he makes his final choice. I just hope he makes the right one." That was her deepest hope. The worse thing about the situation was the two had no home. No family to go to. No one they could call parents.

There was a moment of silence until she heard Charles say, "He will make the right decision. Richard does not seem like a man to let his friends high and dry. Whatever he decides will be best for all. Now, I must go. My only advice is to talk it over with Sean. He may know what might be best. Take care, Emma." She heard him hang up, and she put the phone down. It was then she noticed Sean standing at the door.

She looked over at Sean and said, "How long have you been standing there, Sean?" She didn't know if he overheard the phone conversation. It did bother her that she hadn't even realized he was there.

She watched as Sean looked at her and said, "A few minute. I heard ye were talking with Charles. Did I hear right about Jono and Paige?" She nodded and she saw him smile. "Well, that takes care of two of the students when Rich and Yvette leave for England. As for right now, however, I think duty called for the two of them."

Emma looked at Sean a bit puzzled. She said, "If this is something the whole should know about, they should be there." She watched as Sean shook his head, and she realized it was something Rich had to handle with his title. She then said, "Do you know what happened, and if he made any choices with Darrett and Clarice?"

She watched as Sean shook his head and said, "Nae. Rich and Yvette had to leave very quickly. 'E took a comm unit with him, so we should have some of the kids monitor the comm lines."

Before Emma could ask how soon they would leave, she heard a car speed out of the driveway. She looked out to see Rich's car speed off. She hoped the two would be alright, but something worried her. A nagging fear in the back of her mind. She looked at Sean and said, "Maybe we should get the kids down there soon. Just let's not let Darrett and Clarice do the task together." Before he could say anything, she said, "I know they have been behaving, but there future is still up in the air. Rich makes the final choice." She watched him nod as he headed out.. She followed and silently thought to herself, 'I hope they have a chance to make that choice.'

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

VI. Jubilee

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jubilee looked out the room window when it happened. She saw Rich's car tear out of the school driveway. As it sped out, she said, "What made them fly out of here? I know Rich ended class early, but was this a link?"

She heard Everett say, "Maybe Rich had to go to his company. Maybe something needed his attention there." Jubilee realized that could very well be it.

It wasn't until Angelo said, "If that was the case, why is Yvette going?" Angelo had a point. If Rich had been called to his company, he'd go alone. This was different. It was something Yvette had to go with on.

Soon, she heard Paige say, "Maybe they went to the doctor. Yah know she wasn't feeling well this morning."

Jubilee was about to agree when Mondo said, "You know. She didn't seem to be sick. Wonder if it was just temporary."

Jubilee started to wonder about that. She then said, "Are you suggesting 'Penny' has morning sickness, Mondo?" The thought was almost dismissed from her mind when she realized it could be possible. She wondered how often Yvette had dreamed about something like that. She may have dreamed of it before Rich came to the school.

She heard Daria say, "If that was true, that would mean Rich and Yvette are going to be parents in the near future. I hope that's true." Jubilee looked over at Daria and noticed a tear in her eye. She wondered if what Daria went through in Zero Tolerance made her unable to have kids.

Before anyone could say anything else, she heard Emma say, "Rich and Yvette had to leave on a mission. One that only Rich can deal with." She saw a look of surprise on everyone's face.

She then heard Sean say, "That's why he dismissed class early today. We are all hoping this doesn't take long. However, Rich gave ye assiments, didn't he?" Jubilee wondered why Sean changed the topic and then looked at Clarice. Clarice was upset, and she felt that Clarice was about to protest.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

VII. Clarice

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Clarice was furious. They shouldn't have left with out her. She was supposed to protect them. What if Apocalypse was waiting? She couldn't hold it in anymore and said, "I can't believe they left without me. I'm supposed to protect them."

She heard Jono say, "Clarice. Calm down. You can't be with them every second. They can handle things themselves. They did it long before you showed up." She just glared at Jono. He didn't understand how she felt. She had seen what had happened to them in her timeline.

She just looked at him and shouted, "If you had seen what had happened to them in my timeline, you'd understand. I have to go to their aid." She got up and headed to the door.

Before she realized it, she felt something push her into the chair. She looked up to see Emma's eyes were glowing. She was using her psi-abilities on her. As she tried to get up, Emma said, "Clarice. Have you forgotten that you are under probation. If not for your little stunt in Japan, you would not be under probation. Right now, you and Darrett are not allowed to leave the school unless we all go. Is that understood?"

Clarice had no choice, and she didn't want to admit it. After a moment, she reluctantly said, "Alright. I'll stay, but is there anything we can do at the moment." She hated being helpless, especially like that. She then thought about the whole time she was here. Never had Emma done something like this to keep her in line. She knew both she and Darrett were in hot water, but until now, she didn't know how bad. Now she had a good idea that she had done something very wrong.

She finally heard Sean say, "Aye lass, there is something to be done. We need two volunteers to monitor the comm line. You'll keep your ears open and listen. If something goes wrong, we'll have to head up there, but until then, just listen. Now, who wants the first watch. Just remember, it's either two lads, or two lasses. We want ye paying attention to the comm line, not each other." Clarice knew what Sean was saying. She and Darrett would not have the duty of working together.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

VIII. Darrett

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett looked over at Sean and just said, "I'd like to work on the first watch. I feel like I got to make it up to them for Japan." He watched as Sean nodded. He then said, "Can I ask Everett to work with me. I'd also like to speak with him for a moment."

He watched as both Sean and Emma nodded. He was glad for that. He knew Emma didn't want to go into his mind. He knew she feared what she might see. The deaths of all of Generation X. It was probably the only thing that kept her out of his head, as well as Rich not grabbing his abilities. He was half in the thought when Sean said, "Ev, you go with him. Until anything happens to the worse, keep silent. I don't think Rich and Yvette would have an easy time explaining strange voices."

He stood at that time, just as Everett did. He had something serious to discuss with Everett. It was something that might affect the team. As they entered the hall, he looked at Everett and said, "Hey Ev, I needed to talk to you about something important."

As they progressed to the com room, he heard Everett say, "Is it about what happened in Japan?" Ev had been there, and knew what had happened, to a degree. Everett still didn't know that Darrett was his son, and Darrett still didn't know if he should tell him.

Finally, Darrett said, "Yes and no. It stems from that. You see, I think Rich might make us leave and we have no homes to go to." That had been the honest truth. He was afraid that they would be kicked out of the school, and in turn, have nowhere to go. He honestly didn't want that to happen.

He then heard Everett say, "Don't worry, Darrett. I don't think Rich will kick you out of the school, nor would he do that to Clarice. He knows you two have nowhere you can go. It's Emma you might have to worry about. You saw what she did to keep Clarice here. She can be strict on disapline." Darrett knew that was true. Even after his first few days there, she had them keep a close eye on Rich and Yvette.

He then thought about what he was considering. It may solve part of their problem, but not all of it. Darrett sighed and said, "You know, ever since she arrived here, I've fallen for her. After what happened in Japan, I figured I might have to do this sooner than I would have planned."

He saw Everett look at him and say, "Darrett, are you thinking what I think you are thinking." He knew Everett couldn't synch with him, but Darrett knew that sometimes, they thought alike. When he nodded, he didn't know how Everett would react, but he knew it would be how his own father would have reacted, since they were one in the same.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

IX. Everett

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Everett was in shock. He figured that Darrett might do something like thins, but he didn't expect it so soon. He looked at Darrett and said, "Are you serious about this? How many people know abot this choice." At this time they were just entering the com room.

He watched as Darrett nodded and said, "Yea, I'm serious. She means alot to me. I don't think I'd be able to settle with anyone else. We are sort of in the same boat. We wouldn't fit well with anyone out there."

Now Everett totally understood where Darrett was going with this. Neither had a home to go to. They were two orphins in time. The school was literally their home. He then thought about the whole situation. Maybe that alone would be enough to insure they would be at the school. He looked over at Darrett and said, "Listen, the school is the only place you can call home. I don't think anyone is about to toss you out of it. I think you might be on a continued probation. I also think he won't force you two apart."

He saw Darrett smile as he said, "Thanks, Everett. It means alot to me." As they sat down at the unit in the room, he heard Darrett say, "Now, I guess we need to listen in on them." He watched as he turned on the unit, and soon they heard the sound of a car, and heard Rich and Yvette talking about it.

Everett listened finally said, "Sounds like they are talking about what they might encounter. Sounds like it might be some kind of monster. After I first heard about what Rich's family had done, I didn't believe it at first."

Everett could tell Darrett was a bit puzzled, especially when he said, "It was the same when I found out. Except, I found out in my timeline. It seemed totally unbelievable, but now I'm not to sure."

He watched Darrett for a moment and finally said, "True. I think it's even stranger that Rich's family has been doing this for over a thousand years." He saw Darrett nod and he said, "You think something like this would only be in legends."

They were both surprised when a voice came over the com line and said, "What's stranger still is that you two haven't turned off the microphone over there. Yvette and I have been hearing your entire conversation in the background."

He could see Darrett was shocked, as he relized the mic was on and tried to be calm as he said, "How much have you heard?"

The response came from Yvette, "Everything, including that Darrett's little speech."

He saw Darrett pale as the boy said, "Is this going to affect my punishment?"

Everett saw a bit of relief cross Darrett's face as Rich said, "Don't worry, Darrett, I'm not going to have you two be seperated. I'll let you know when I get back. Now, turn off the mic. If someone hears you two, we have problems to explain."

Everett didn't heasitate. He just said, "Alright, Rich, but we will be listening. If we say anything, it will be very important." He then turned off the mike, and sighed. He looked at Darrett and said, "Next time we talk in here, let's make sure no one can here us."

He watched as Darrett nodded and said, "I agree. That was a bit embarassing." With that, they both kept their ears to the com.


	92. New Freedoms

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Destiny

New Freedoms

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Quinn**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Quinn stood and watched as the Dark Beast continued the experiment. She was a bit worried. She had heard rumors about the Dark Beast. She wasn't surprised that he was working with Apocolypse. She knew he was evil, but the fact that he wanted Rich dead made her like him. This, however, bothered her. As she watched the experiment, she heard the Dark Beast say, "If you were wondering, the process is soon finished. The mind of Claudette's sister will soon be in the clone body."

Quinn watched and said, "I see. You know, I have heard things about you, and I've always wondered if they are true?" She didn't want to say what she had heard, mainly because she didn't want to anger him.

The Dark Beast continued the process, and said, "Well, if you have heard that I like to preform experiments on mutants, you are right. However, I'm sure your employer's sister will make for good testing material. Lord Apocolypse has asked for a special concoction, especially for one of our upcoming guests."

Quinn had a small shiver run up her spine at the last comment. She looked at him and said, "And who is to receive this fate, Rich?"

She was startled when Apocolypse's booming voice said, "No. Richard Cale will meet his end at my hand, and mine alone." She turned to face him as he said, "This formula that the doctor is making will make sure that if Cale survives, he won't have an heir." Before she could respond, he said to her, "Now, the Cale's are on their way, correct?"

She swallowed at the sudden change in topic and said, "Yes. I made sure Yvette couldn't recognize my voice. However, I didn't talk with her much, so if any of the others were there, they might recognize the voice."

She watched as he turned to face Soundwave. "You heard her. They should be on their way here. Go out there and find them. I want them alive, and be sure you don't let them know it's you. Understood."

Quinn looked at Soundwave as he nodded and said, "You got it. Rich will be here soon. I won't let them escape." She didn't like him. She was happy when he left the room, and saw Apocolypse had left as well. She shook her head. She could tell that Apocolypse was manipulating him. She'd do the same thing. Her thoughts were soon cut short as she heard a slight moaning coming from Claudette. She turned to see the Dark Beast just sitting still. Apparently, the procedure was done.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Claudette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Claudette slowly openned her eyes. The process was a drain to her system, but she was recouping nicely. She focused first on her mind. That was the test. After a moment, she found no trace of Monet at all. She smiled. At last, she had reached what she was aiming for. She would never be held back by her sister again. She started to laugh and shout, "Yes. I'm free."

Her joyous cheers were cut short when Quinn said, "Shouldn't you wait until you are out of that contraption until you cheer." She looked down at Quinn and remember that the device was on the wall. That was something she had forgotten, but it would be worth it. She tried to rip herself free, but she has held in place. Apparently, if it could hold her, it could hold Monet. That was a good thing. She looked to her left to see Monet held in the same way.

She turned back to Quinn and the Dark Beast. "Well, could I have some help here? I want to be in front of my sister when she comes to." It would be the ultimate blow. The ultimate sign that Monet had failed to keep her in check.

As Quinn helped to get her down, she heard her say, "So boss, this is why you got the clone from Black Tom. So you could be rid of your sister?"

Claudette nodded and then said, "That, and so much more. You see, for years, I was imprisoned in the mind of a joint body. Now, I have all the powers of the joint body, and I don't have to worry about Monet taking control. I'm free and clear. The only bad thing is that I lose my symbiosis ability, but it's a small price to pay."

When she was finally on the floor, Quinn said, "Soundwave just went to capture Rich and Yvette. I don't trust him. Something in him makes me worry."

Claudette looked at her, then and the Dark Beast, and then said psionically, _"Be quiet. He may be the weakest of all of us. He grew up with Rich, but I think part of him still exists where he thinks Rich should live. That small part hasn't been manipulated by Apocolypse. Last thing we want to do is tip anyone off we know that."_

She saw Quinn was about to protest as she said, _"But boss, shouldn't Apocolypse be told."_

The answer came from Golden, as he entered and said through the psionic bond, _"You want to make him mad. Claudette is right. We need to keep this quiet. Besides, I may be able to stop Soundwave, but how can we stop Apocolypse. Right now, we have to remain allies."_ That was one of the reasons she liked Golden. While he couldn't vocally communicate, he knew how to tell the truth.

She smiled and said, _"Enough of this. Monet should be awaking soon. I want to be the first thing she sees."_ She then walked over to the form of Monet. She waited, thinking about that Monet was now a clone. She had all the same abilities. She would have loved to given Monet a disfigured form, but didn't. A perfect match would insure success, and she needed to be rid of Monet. Soon she saw the figure start to move. She just quietly said, "Welcome to your new nightmare, dear sister."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Monet**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Monet had a spliting headache. She lost track of all the time she was stuck in that mental prison. Now she didn't even want to open her eyes. She figured Claudette wanted to taunt her again. Everytime, she hoped Generation X would capture Claudette and free her. She had heard Claudette say something, but she didn't want to give her the satisfaction of taunting her. Soon, she heard Claudette say, "Now, now, sis, it's time to open those eyes. I have a surprise for you."

Monet still wouldn't open her eyes. She kept them shut as she said, "I'm not falling for your tricks again, Claudette. I won't let you see the fear." She knew that's what Claudette wanted to see, and she didn't want to let her see it, even though she was full of fear.

Soon, Monet heard a new voice. "I don't think she can keep them closed for long, boss." It was Quinn. The girl her sister hired to help capture Rich. She could see what her sister had done, but she couldn't stop it. But how could the girl see her?

Now she wanted to open her eyes, but not to let Claudette see the fear, but to see what she could see. She slowly openned her eyes to see all of Claudette's gang in front of her. She also noticed she was in some contraption on the wall. It was then she realized she was in control of a body. She tried to move her arms, but couldn't. She was confused. She was free but trapped. She looked at Claudette and said, "What have you done?"

She heard her sister laugh as she said, "My, my, is that any way to thank you for the body. You should be more grateful, but I can't take all the credit. The process to seperate us was my associate's brain child."

She followed Claudette's jesture and saw a huge blue figure sitting at a console. Monet realized who it was. It was the Dark Beast. This did scare her. As she looked at the figure, he just said, "How are you doing, Monet?" She was aware that this version of Dr. McCoy was a twisted mad scientist. His experiments were downright insane, and sometimes deranged.

She then heard her sister say, "I think she's glad you helped her. So glad, that she'll help in your experiments. It's the least she could do to help." Right then, Monet realized what had happened. Claudette has given her to the Dark Beast, for any test he wanted to try on her.

She then heard Q.T., "Don't worry, Monet. You won't be alone for long. Soundwave is going to get the two guests of honor." Now Monet was truely scared. That meant Rich and Yvette would soon be trapped here. It was a nightmare, and Monet wished she could wake up out of it. She also wished she would be back with Generation X.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Apocolypse**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Apocolypse sat in his master chamber. He knew it was only a matter of time now. In a few hours, he'd have the pleasure of killing the last, and possibly only, threat the Cale family could ever have. He had fought them for centuries. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before a mutant would be born to the family. True, he had trouble dealing with the X-Men, but this was different. Richard Cale was a mutant who could use his powers. That was why he started looking for a way to stop Cale from ever becoming head of his family. Eventually, after all of Soundwave's failures, he decided that Rich would not be able to cope with his responsablity. He watched one of the screen, seeing his quarry now entering the range of camera he put all around his base area. As he watched, he said, "It won't be long now, Cale, until I have you in my trap. Do you even know what you are heading into?"

He was annoyed when he heard someone say, "If he does, then he doesn't know it is you." He turned to see Claudette had entered his inner sanctum. He glared at her and she only said, "I was just hoping to see the capture of Richard Cale. I would feel honored if I could see the glorious event."

He smiled at that. She knew her place. He looked at her and said, "I'll allow you to watch the capture, but the final battle will not be witnessed. I want Cale to feel like he's abandoned. Plus, he may think you are his sister. Seeing any member of Generation X may give him strength."

He watched Claudette nodded. He was glad she knew her place. Of course, when Richard Cale died, he'd have to off the rest of the Cale family. True, most of who were left couldn't have children, but they were still there. He was distracted from this thought when Claudette said, "Look like the show has begun. It won't be long now."

Apocolypse nodded and said, "Yes. The clock is soon up for Richard Cale, and his family." He started to laugh as he saw Soundwave fly into view on the cameras. Soon, his time would begin.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Paige**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Paige listened to the comm unit with Daria as they heard Yvette go, "There it is. It does look hidious." She and Daria had taken over for Everett and Darrett. Now, they heard the Rich and Yvette had found the creature that they went after.

She then heard Rich say, "It won't last long. We'll stop it."

As they listened, Daria said, "I hope this fight doesn't last long." Deep down, Paige was hoping that it wouldn't last long. The less time it took, the sooner the two got back.

Paige turned to Daria and said, "Ah agree. At least it's not a trap." She was hoping it wasn't a trap. That was the biggest worry they all had about this. That this was a trap designed by someone to capture the two. It could have been anyone. Over the time since Rich helped Yvette become the woman she is today, they had earned new enemies, and even some old ones.

She watched as Daria nodded and said, "True. If this was a trap, how would we find them. We still haven't found the girls that Emplate kidnapped a while back. It's like they disappeaered off the face of the Earth. If Emplate was out there, we might never see them again."

Paige couldn't argue that logic. She listened to the comm line again, and heard Yvette say, "That thing just won't get close. We might have to pull a combo attack to get it down." It was then Paige heard a faint sound in the background.

She reached down and turned up the volume. She then heard a song in the background. She listened for a second and then said, "Daria, do yah hear that. It sounds like some music is playing."

She heard Daria say, "I know. I can't believe they left their radio on. Most be some weird station. That sounds like New Kids." When Paige heard that, she slowly realized what was happening out there. The was no creature, and it was keeping it's distance because it was staying out of Rich's power range. Daria had hit the same conclusion as she said, "Oh no. It's Soundwave."

Paige quickly hit the microphone button and said, "Rich, Yvette. Get out of there. It's Soundwave. It's a trap." She heard a gasp on the other end, and hoped she had done the right thing, especially after she shut off the microphone. Now, only time would tell.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Davis**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Soundwave watched as it looked like Rich and Yvette were about to launch a flying attack at him. He had kept out of reach, especially since he didn't want Rich figuring out who it was. However, he watched as a look of fear crossed Rich's face. He listened as he heard Rich shout, "We need to fall back."

It looked like the cat was out of the bag. Soundwave saw them start to head towards the car they had arrived in. He looked at the car and sent a sonic wave down at the engine. Before the two could even reach the car, the whole front was flattened. The two almost froze. They had found out who it was attacking them and he dropped the disguise. He looked at them and just said, "Long time, no see." He let an evil grin cross his face.

He watched as Yvette tensed up. She just said, "We won't go down without a fight, Soundwave." He watched as she then got close to Rich. He had a feeling she would do that, and that was exactly what he wanted.

He just smiled, and focused on the air around the two of them. He started to make the air solid. He then said, "I don't think you'll put up much fight right now." He watched as both of their movements slowed down. They were trying to fight their way out of danger they were in.

Eventually, he heard Rich say, "Davis, you won't get away with this." Before Rich could say anymore, Soundwave watched Rich and Yvette both collapse. He returned the air to normal. His boss didn't want them dead.

Soundwave lowered himself to the ground and looked at the two unconscious forms. He wondered how they figured it out. Then he started to wonder why now, the boss want Cale alive. Before, 'Big Blue' wanted Rich dead. In exchange, Soundwave would have gotten untold power. Now 'Big Blue' wanted him alive. He started to wonder more about when he first met 'Big Blue'. He started to wonder why he hated Rich. They had been friends in school. He shook his head and finally said, "I don't know why the boss changed his mind, but he wants you alive. As for your girl, he has a home picked out for her."

He then picked the two of them up and flew off to the hide out.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Daria**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Daria was scared as she heard the voice of Soundwave come over the comm unit. She heard him say, "To be honest, Rich, I didn't think we'd be getting the help we got, but it worked out for the best. Now 'Big Blue' will get to see you."

Daria realized what that meant. She turned to Paige and said, "This was a trap by Apocolypse. But who's helping him, and can we do anything right now?" She hated to think they were helpless, because they weren't there.

Daria hear Paige say, "Let's keep listening, but I'll call Emma and Sean." She watched as Paige ran over to the intercom and said, "Sean, Emma, you better get down here. Things just went wrong in a big way."

She then heard Emma's voice say, "Well be right down. Just keep listening, and try to find out where they are."

Daria heard it and kept the comm line on. She listend as Soundwave was saying, "You know, Rich, I don't understand what is going on. First he wants me to kill you, then not. It doesn't make sense."

Daria looked at Paige and said, "What is he saying?" It puzzled her. Everytime Soundwave attacked, he was trying to kill Rich, and now, it sounded different.

She watched as Paige walked over and listened as Soundwave said, "I know you can't hear me, but lately, I don't know what to think. I don't understand 'Big Blue', but I don't know if he's right or wrong now. I'm starting to think that ever since I met him, something has been wrong. I just hope I get a sign that tells me I'm making a mistake. You were one of the best friends I had."

Paige looked at her and said, "I don't know, but that sounds like Soundwave might switch sides. We better get a fix on where he is." Daria nodded and started to work on getting co-ordinates for the location.

Just as she was about to get the co-ordinates, static hit her ears and she lost the signal. Daria turned off the unit and said, "I think we lost them. Maybe where Soundwave took them had some sort of jamming signal. We should have tried earlier."

Daria saw Paige was about to say something when she heard Emma say in there minds, _"We need everyone down in the war room. There is no time to lose."_

When the summons ended, Paige just said, "We better get down there. I don't think this will be a big problem, but we better be ready just in case." Daria nodded and they both got up and headed down to the war room.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Jono**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jono watched as everyone entered the war room. He had been spending time in there, trying to figure out what to do in case this happened. Jono had figured it would be something he'd have to take part in when he and Paige joined the X-Men. The only problem was that Generation X never had to deal with someone like Apocolypse. They had handled Soundwave, but now they knew who was behind Soundwave. He was deep in this thought when he noticed the look on Paige's face. He started to worry more that he already was worrying. He looked at her and said, _"What happened?"_

He had a feeling what the answer would be, but it was Sean who answered the question. "It looks like Soundwave got Skitz and Penance. Unfortunately, we all know what this most likely means." Jono watched as everyone nodded.

He heard Jubilee say, "Apocalypse. Banshee, do you think we are ready for this?" It was the most important question that he had heard all day. Where they ready?

He then heard Emma say, "Ever since Skitz first mentioned this, we've been trying to be ready for this. I don't think Skitz can take this on himself, which is why it may be happening this way."

He then heard Clarice say, "I should have gone. If I had been able to go, I could have gotten them out of there."

Jono looked at her and said, _"Blink, have you ever heard of Soundwave in your timeline? Even Mancer didn't know much about the Soundwave in his timeline."_ He had a feeling why Darrett picked that name, but wasn't totally sure.

He saw Darrett nod and say, "I was lucky. I didn't have to deal with him. However, he was very sadistic."

He then heard Everett say, "What was he like in your timeline, Blink?"

He watched as Clarice lowered her head and said, "He was dead. When Apocolypse attacked Rich's home town, Soundwave said that he had fled to England. Soundwave was loyal to his friends back then." That was almost unbelievable. Even from their brief encounters with Soundwave, he couldn't believe that Soundwave was loyal to Rich.

He then heard Paige say, "That make sense with what Daria and I heard. As he was taking Skitz and Penance back to the lair, he was talking like he would help Skitz."

He then heard Daria say, "But he said he needs a sign. Sounds like he's expecting divine intervention."

Jono then said, _"Unfortunately, I don't think we can wait that long. We need to find out where they went, and who else is involved. Let's face facts. If Soundwave had called, they wouldn't have bolted out of here. It might have been a genuine call. Skin, Blink, Jubilee, and Mondo, head down to Skitz and Penance's apartment. The rest of you, get ready. We will have to leave right away after we find out who's helping Soundwave."_ He watched as the nodded and headed off.

As they all left the room, he heard Sean say, "Ye are doing well, Chamber. I'm sure you'll make a good X-Man."

Jono would have sighed, but he said, _"I'm glad Paige and I made the cut, but leaving here in a month is short notice. When will we tell the others?"_ He didn't want to leave the friends he made here at the school, but he knew it was inevitahle. Every knew about the letter from England Rich and Yvette got. It looked like even those two would be leaving.

He heard Emma say, "We'll tell them after this mission. I have a feeling everyone will be here at that point." He didn't understand what Emma said, but maybe it had to do with a strange feeling he had. It felt like something happened on a psi-level, but he couldn't place it. He put it out of his mind for now. They had an attack to plan.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IX. Angelo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Angelo tried to stay calm about the whole situation, but he found it difficult to do so. He had a feeling that everything would be alright, but the feeling of dread still remained. The fact that one of the most dangerous mutants to ever exist was linked to this caused a fear to rise in all of them. This thought was almost in front of his mind as he heard Jubilee say, "We're at the apartment. I hope they left the door unlocked."

Angelo watched as Jubilee tired to open the door, only to fail. "Looks like they remembered to lock the door. Maybe Skitz doesn't want us to change our grades." He heard a slight chuckle from Jubilee, but that was it. The whole situation wasn't that funny.

He then heard Mondo say, "So how are we to get in. I can slide under ther door, and unlock it from the inside. Or..." Angelo looked to where Mondo was looking to see no one there. He had a feeling what happened.

His feeling was confirmed when the door openned and Clarice said, "We don't have time to waste trying to get in. We have to find out where they are." They all went in, and Angelo looked around. He didn't come down here that often, in fact, most of the Gen-X'er's didn't come down here that often. This was Skitz and Penance's home. Where they would go to be alone.

Angelo looked around, mainly looking for one thing. It was then he saw it. Grimore, Rich's cat, was resting right near the phone. The only odd thing was that the cat was looking at him. As Angelo looked at the cat, he could swear he saw someone thinking. He then noticed it. It wasn't the cat, but a blinking light on the machine by the phone. He just said, "I think we have a lead. There is a message on the phone." He walked over to it, just as everyone else did.

He heard Jubilee say, "This might be a clue. We might be able to find out where they went." He had to agree on that. He watched as Jubilee pushed the play button and heard the whole thing.

**"Hello." **

**"Are you the wife of the Paladin?" **

**"This is she." **

**"There is a monster in our town. It's destroying everything our town holds dear. We need help, immediately." **

**"Where are you located, ma'am?" **

**"I don't know if you'll know our town name. We are about 50 miles north of Snow Valley, Massachucetts. I hope that is a help." **

Angelo listend carefully. Both voices had sounded familiar. The second voice was the one who called, and it was a woman. As he thought about it, he heard Mondo say, "That could have been Soundwave disguising his voice."

It was a good thought, until Jubilee said, "No music. Soundwave needs music to do that. Besides, she had to somehow get the number here."

He thought about that for a moment, and said, "Not really. I mean, maybe that phone number is passed around in certain circles. But that voice is familiar."

Angelo heard Clarice say, "Was it Aura?" It was a good question, but not logical. Emplate wanted Rich alive, so he wouldn't help Soundwave and Apocalypse.

He then thought about all the enemies they encounterd, and remembered one person. Her voice had lulled him in, and then she got him. He realized who was helping Apocalypse and Soundwave. He looked at everyone and said, "It was Quinn. She's helping Apocalypse."

He then heard Mondo say, "If it is her, then Claudette is there, but why?"

It was a good question, and he heard Jubilee answer, "Oh no. Back when she helped Black Tom, we found out Tom had clones. Clones of him; clones of you, Mondo. What if he had a clone of Claudette there?"

Angelo realized what Jubilee might be getting at. "Claudette is trying to seperate herself from Monet. She might have gone to Apocolypse to get the mind seperation done. We better tell the others that we might be rescuing three people today." He watched as they all nodded and ran out of the room. Before he left he looked at Grimore and said, "Don't worry. We'll get your owners back." He was surprised when the cat nodded and then jumped to the floor. Angelo then ran out the door and closed it.


	93. Prisoners Of Evil

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Destiny

Prisoners Of Evil

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Dark Beast**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The Dark Beast looked at the figure in the cage in front of him. He had remembered part of what he had done to her in his timeline. Now he had a chance to repeat the experiment. First he had to make sure she wasn't able to tense up. He pulled out the collar and placed it on her. Once on, a light showed that it was active. He smiled and said, "Now, all I need to do is set up the equipment to monitor all the readings." As he started setting up the equipment, he saw the door open and Apocalypse and Claudette entered the room. He looked back to his work and said, "Is there something I can help you with?"

He saw as the two walked over to the cage Yvette was in. He watched as Apocalypse eyed her and said, "I hope that formula will be as successful as you claim it will be. If it does work, it will be the final blow to the Cale family. Plus, if it works as you claim, even if Cale survives, his wife won't be the same woman he fell in love with."

He saw Claudette look sternly at Apocolypse and said, "What do you mean? I thought you were allowing her to be given to my brother." He knew of the agreement that Claudette had made with Apocolypse.

He saw Apocolypse look at him and say, "Beast, please explain to Claudette what the formula will do."

He smiled and said, "The basics of the formula is to make the subject of the formula not able to have children. A side affect will redirect her mutant ablities into another function of the body. The redirection could eventually kill her, but I'm sure your brother won't let that happen."

He then heard Apocolypse say, "He already has to deal with something like that with the girls he captured. I'm sure he'd enjoy seeing that happen to Yvette."

He saw Claudette smile as she said, "Marius has told me about the girls. I'm sure he'll like seeing that happening to Yvette, but what about her powers?"

Dark Beast smiled as he said, "They can be restored. I'll write down the process so you can tell your brother. Also, I'll use the formula on Rich. It should have a similar effect on him, however, I don't know what it will do to redirect his power."

He was surprised when Apocolypse said, "NO! I want to fight Cale as he is. Besides, just hearing about his wife might break his spirit. He's still not up to this fight, and as long as Genearion X can't get here, he has no back-up. We just have to wait until he awakes. You may administer the formula soon. Wait until you hear that Rich is awake." He then saw Apocalypse look at the silent form of Monet. He saw the girl look away, and Apocalypse said, "You may be able to check the formula on her. However, you can use it on Yvette first." He then looked at the formula he had. He had enough for three doses. He wanted to save the third dose so he could make more, so he hoped it worked the first time. He then prepared a syringe for injection.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Quinn**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Q. T. looked at the cage at the end of the room. She smiled as she looked at the figure inside it. She wondered how soon it would be that she could taunt him. She also knew she wasn't alone in the room. She turned to face Soundwave and said, "How long until he comes to?"

She saw Soundwave look at her and say, "He'll be awake soon. Why do you care? You are just one of Claudette's lackeys. Only thing he might have done to you was ruin one of her plans."

Q. T. just pushed Soundwave and said, "He foiled my plans back in college. Claudette has given me a chance at revenge. My hate for him is genuine, unlike yours. I think you would rather be friends again." She watched as he flinched. She could tell he was faltering in who he wanted to work for. Maybe she'd have to keep a closer eye on him.

She then heard a soft groan come fromt he cage. Rich was finally waking. She watched as Rich finally said, "Where am I?"

She smiled again and said, "Right were you should be, captured and facing the worse fate imaginable." She smiled as he jumped up and stared straight at her. She then said, "Are you surprised to see me here, Rich?"

She watched as Rich stared at her, then at Soundwave, then back at her. He just said, "Let me guess, Claudette is helping Apocalypse."

She could see Soundwave was confused, but she just said, "Yes. She needed help with something, and in exchange, she helped lure you here. In fact, it was me who called you. I don't think your little wife realized it."

She watched as Rich almost launched himself at the cage and said, "If you've hurt her in any way, Quinn, I'll make you regret it."

She then heard Soundwave say, "Don't worry. She in good hands. She's with the Dark Beast right now." She saw a look of fear cross Rich's face. He was obviously aware of what the Dark Beast was capable of.

She then said, "Don't worry, in time, she will be in better hands. Those of Claudette's brother." She watched as he threw himself into the bars, only to be knocked back by a zap of electricity. She had to laugh at that, especially as he realized what had happened.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich shook his head, mostly in shock. The cage was rigged. If he tried to bust out, he'd get shocked, but he could tell it wasn't lethal. Apocalypse wanted to have the honor of killing him. He looked at his two captors, and said, "You know Generation X will come. They aren't going to let you win."

He watched Q.T. turn and say, "Like they know where you went. They don't even know this was a trap. Now, I'll let Soundwave stay with you. I'm going to watch the fun in the next room." Rich watched as she walked out the door.

He then heard Soundwave say, "I hate that bitch. She acts like she's all high and mighty." It sounded almost as if Soundwave was addressing him.

Rich just sat down and said, "I know the feeling, Davis. I know the feeling." For a moment, he forgot Soundwave was the one who put him in here. But he could feel there was something different about his old friend.

He then heard Davis say, "You remember that time in our one math class when you told the teacher that he should have said that in the first place." Rich knew what Davis was referring too.

Rich started to laugh and said, "It would have saved at least thirty minutes if he would have said what I said in the begining." He now had a feeling that after all this time, Davis was feeling genuine regret. Rich looked over at Davis and said, "What happened to our friendship, Davis?"

He saw his former friend look at him and say, "I don't know. When I was offered the job to work for Big Blue, I became spellbound. At first, he wanted you in jail, then he convince me you should be dead, and now he wants you alive. I can't make sense of it. If I had a sign, I'd know what to do."

Rich looked at Davis for a moment and said, "Yea. I wish I had that sign too. Look at me, Davis. I thought by now, I'd have a family, my kids would have grandparents, and I'd have a normal job. Things don't work like that for mutants, do they?"

He saw Davis smile and say, "Hey, at least you got a wife who loves you. Listen, Rich, if you make it through this. I'm gonna try and change. At least one of us should have a chance at their dreams."

Rich was about to say something when he heard a loud scream. It was Yvette. She was hurt. Rich looked over at Davis and said, "What is that monster doing to her?"

He saw Davis turn and say, "I don't know, but I'm hoping it doesn't work, or that dream of yours won't come true." Rich was scared now. For a moment, he did the one thing he could do to help. He started to pray.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette screamed as she felt the pinch in her arm, followed by the burning. Something was injected into her. She openned her eyes and was surprised who was standing their, until she realized who it really was. She was looking at the Dark Beast, and he was holding a syringe. He had injected something into her. She wondered how he was able to do it when she felt the collar. Her powers were being halted. Then she saw a few other faces in the room. She was almost frozen in fear. It was Apocalypse. He was something she could never truly imagine. A being more evil than Emplate. And next to him, was Claudette. She backed away and said, "You set us up."

She was horrified when Apocalypse just said, "No, only bringing the inevitable to be. The end of the Cales, and the beginning of my rule. Of course, Claudette will make sure you have a good home." That scared her.

She watched as Claudette smiled and said, "Yes. Marius will be happy to see you again. Right now, we have to set things up. By the way, I can't wait to see your new look." She watched as the group left the room, leave her and Dark Beast in there.

Yvette looked at the Dark Beast studying his read outs and said, "What did you do to me?" She was scared that he had put something into her that would kill her, or worse.

She watched as he kept looking at his read outs and said, "Don't worry, it won't kill you. However, you may not be able to have children if it does it's job." She saw a smile cross his lip as he said, "However, I think your friend over there is hoping it works. I don't think she wants it tested on her."

Yvette was worried when she heard that. Had Generation X tried to rescue them, only to be caught. She had to put that thought out of her mind. She turned to see who he was refering to, only to be in utter shock when she saw who it was. She gasped and said, "Monet?"

Monet looked at her, and she could tell Monet was scared and relieved at the same time. "Yvette. I'm sorry I can't help you. Claudette got herself seperated from me, but this thing is keeping me from using my powers."

She then heard the Dark Beast say, "We don't want you wrecking this lab, or the master's plan. However, you will be a good test subject." Yvette saw Monet cringe. She then heard the Dark Beast say, "What is this?" She turned to face him, only to see a worried look on his face.

She wanted to know what he found, but he got up and ran out of the room. As she watched the door closed, she started to have a good feeling, followed by a bad feeling. She heard Monet say, "What happened, Yvette?"

She just looked straight ahead and wondered what was on those monitors as she said, "I think his formula failed, but I want to know why?" She heard a small cry of fear escape Monet's lips. Monet knew what was coming, and she knew it too. The Dark Beast would test the formula on her next. Yvette started to hope Generation X would get there soon.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Mondo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mondo sat in the vehicle as it headed off to the location in the message. When they all learned Claudette was involved, it meant a lot of new factors. It meant Claudette's gang was helping Apocolypse. It also meant, due to what they learned about the incident a while back, that Monet might be back. With all the factors, Mondo knew Banshee was speeding to find Skitz and Penance. Mondo then saw it in the distance. He just said, "Banshee. Look over there. I think that's Skitz's car."

He felt Banshee slam on the brakes as he said, "Yur right Mondo. That is the lad's car."

He then heard Mancer say, as the vehicle finally halted, "Or what's left of it. I think Soundwave totalled it." Mondo had to agree. What was there was not much, just the reminents of a fire. He was thankful the fire hadn't spread.

Mondo then said, "I wonder why the police haven't gotten here yet. You would think a car fire would get their attention." He was partially thankful the police weren't there. They would have to explain why they were there.

Soon, he heard sirens in the distance. He heard Jubilee say, "Looks like you spoke too soon, Mondo. Banshee, how are we gonna explain this?"

He was surprised when Banshee said, "We aren't lass. You all head out and hunt down where they are hiding. Emma and I will take care of the police. Keep in touch, and we will call you when it's handled. Now go."

Mondo didn't need to be told twice. He melted into the earth as some of the other flew and ran into the background. He hoped it wouldn't take long to find the secret lair. How could anyone hide a lair in this area. It would have to be underground, or something like that. As he moved, he felt something odd. A strange metal structure under the ground. It had to be the lair. He tried to figure out where the entrance was and surfaced to see a cave. That had to be the entrance. He was half tempted to try and morph in, but decided not to. He decided to wait a moment before calling the others. He looked in the cave to see if anyone was guarding it. It was odd that it was unprotected. Soon, a beep came from his communicator and he heard Emma say, "The police have been taken care of. What's the status?"

He just said, "I found the lair entrace. It's a cave, and the whole thing is underground. I don't know if it's guarded or not." He didn't see a guard, but there might be one hiding.

He then heard Banshee say, "Alright everyone, get to Mondo's location and wait for us. No one heads in until we check the situation out. We may need to find another entrance." He nodded and decided to wait. No sense getting killed, especially in this situation.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Sean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sean looked around as he touched down to the ground. Everyone had gotten to the site of the cave. It looked like Mondo was right. It looked like an entrance to the lair. If this was the lair, something bothered him about it. Something else was bothering him. It was the whole situation. If he was right, that entrance was not totally unprotected. When the last of their group arrived, he said, "Alright, what does everyone think?"

He was not surprised when Jono said, _"Looks like it is unguarded, but if that is the only entrance, it's most likely guarded."_

He then heard Paige say, "But by who, Chamber? No one has tried to attack us. Maybe there are weapons there?"

He then heard Jubilee say, "Maybe the weapons are activated when something enters the room, Husk. Maybe we should test it, like throw a rock into the cave. Or I could shoot a blast into the cave."

Sean looked at her and said, "It's a good idea, Jubilee, but we'll go with the rock. Everyone get back. I'll toss a rock in there, and we'll see what happens." He waited as everyone got back to cover. If there was going be an attack when he threw the rock in, he wanted to limit the amount of injury that was received. He looked straight at the cave and threw the rock. He watched as the rock entered the cave and hit the ground. That was it. Nothing had happened, no attack and no threat of an attack. The rock landed silently. Sean quickly realized what that meant. He turned back to the others and said, "We have to find another way in."

He saw Darrett look at him and ask the big question. "Why? I didn't hear anything happen." Sean looked at him and the boy realized what Sean was hinting at.

He then heard Clarice say, "I could blink in and out before the guard could realize I was there." It seemed that Blink was the only one who didn't realize what the lack of sound meant.

He then heard Everett say, "Blink, I think the big problem won't be getting in, but the lack of sound. I think Golden is guarding the entrance. No sound came out of the cave."

He then heard Emma say, "There must be some sort of barrier that acts as a one way gate. You can enter, but not exit. That must be holding a limit to Golden's power. If we can find a way to break the barrier, we may get the drop on him."

Emma was right. He looked at everyone and said. "Alright, half of you, try to find another entrance. The rest, find something to disable what ever is holding that barrier up." He watched as all the kids headed off, and then he turned to the cave. He looked in to see movement for the first time. It was then he recognized the person. It was Golden, as he suspected.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Golden**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Golden had seen the rock fly through the special barrier. He also saw who had thrown it. It was the noisy member of Generation X, Banshee. He looked out of the cave as all the members came out of hiding. He watched as they spoke and finally headed out in different directions. He then saw Banshee look directly at him. The man had seen him. He didn't need to read Banshee's lips to know what was going on. Generation X was looking to find another way in. Either that, or to find what powered the barrier. The barrier was all he needed to create a void of sound in the cave entrance. If that barrier wasn't there, his power would try to kill the sound in the infinate area of the world. If they killed the barrier, his power would try it and it would overwealm him.

Right now, he needed to inform Claudette of Gen X's arrival. He focused on the psi-link and said, _"Claudette, we have a problem."_

He wanted for her response. She would ask what the problem is, but would it be in time. He was thankful when she finally said, _"This better be important, Golden. It is really hitting the fan down here."_

Golden quietly swallowed and said, _"Generation X is here. They aren't attempting to enter, but I feel they are searching for another way in. They may find a way to get past the barrier."_

He waited until he heard Claudette say, _"They won't find another way in, and the power source to that field is down here. Without sound, they can't do anything. Remember, you are used to silence, not them."_ He nodded. He lived his life is silence. He was adjusted to it, not them. He turned his attention back to the entrance of the cave. There was no way they could get by him.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Apocalypse**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Apocalypse looked at the Dark Beast and wanted to blast him at that moment. He did not like hearing news of failure. The only thing keeping him from blasting Dark Beast was the fact that the Dark Beast was one of the few people loyal to him. He then said, "Why didn't the formula work? You tell me it failed, but you did not tell me why."

He watched as the Dark Beast calmly stepped back and said, "Her body is already going through some of the changes the formula would cause. The formula can't create them if they are occurring naturally."

The fact that Dark Beast was just dancing around the main point was upsetting him even more. He wanted the answer straight away, not danced around it. He just stood and said, "Answer the question. What is wrong?"

He noticed the Dark Beast jump back when he said, "She's with child. It's still early, but she's with child. She carrying the next in the Cale family." That was news he did not want to hear. He thought that he could end their family by destroying Rich and his relatives. Rich was the natural heir, and now that he will have an heir, the title would go to them. He had to be rid of that line, once and for all.

He looked at Dark Beast and said, "Try the formula on Monet first. If it works as expected, take steps to make sure Yvette is without child. Then administer the formula to her. I want to make sure Cale has no hope when it comes time to battle."

He was almost surprised when Claudette said, "You may not have much time. Golden just informed me that Generation X is here. They must have found us somehow." He thought of the battle between Cale and Soundwave and remembered seeing the two fall back. They had known something had changed.

It was then it hit him. He turned to Soundwave and said, "Soundwave, I want you to make sure Cale is ready for the battle. He, or his wife, must have been wearing a communicator of some sort. I must end this now. Claudette, if Generation X manages to break through, detain them. If the manage to rescue some of their team, I want them to know one should not cross Apocalypse." He then headed out of the room, watching as Soundwave went off to do his task. Only one thing bothered him. A look he saw on Soundwave's face, like the boy was concerned about an unborn child.


	94. Foe To Friend

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Destiny

Foe To Friend

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett had returned to the site of the lair entrance. He and Everett had searched all over for another entrance, or the fields power source, but had no success. When they finally arrive, the others were waiting. Darrett felt all eyes on them as Sean said, "Mancer, Synch, did ye find anything?"

Darrett listened as Everett said, "Not a thing." He had to admit, Everett kept it simple. Same way he liked to keep things. More and more, Darrett saw traits that proved he was Everett's son.

He then said, "Looks like we have to go with a frontal assult. The only problem is, by the time we realize we are in the no sound zone, it may be too late." He had given some thought to the problem. There had to be a barrier in the room that allowed stuff to go in, but not out.

He then heard Emma say, "We could try psyonic communication. It would be the best way."

He then heard Jono say, _"What if that barrier is ready for psyonics? If it wasn't, we would have heard something from inside. I can't even detect Skitz or Penance."_

He head Jubilee say, "Chamber's got a point. If they could have called us, they would have. Even the communicators aren't working." He remembered hearing that the communicators went dead. He had heard that this timelines Apocolypse was dangerous, but this only proved the point. Whatever he had planned was thought out, and even he couldn't believe that it was this way. In his timeline, Apocalypse tried to save the world. Now what choice did they have. They had to break into Apocalypse's and stop him.

Darrett looked at the cave, somewhat upset at the whole situation and looked at Golden. The boy looked like he was doubled over in pain. Before the boy was alright, but now, something was different. He focused on his ability. and soon, next to him was Melodia. He looked at the woman and said, "Melodia, go in the cave and use you weapon to ensnare the boy in there."

He watched as she nodded and stepped into the cave. He heard her footsteps, and soon the music that came from her weapon filled the air as Golden looked to be ensnared in it. As the noise continued, he heard Clarice say, "What's that racket?"

Darrett turned to see everyone looking at him as he said, "The barriers down. Someone must have took it out in there."

As the team started to head in, he heard Angelo say, "How did you know, Mancer?":

It was a good question, that he answered simply. "Golden was doubled over in pain. I guessed the barrier fell, and he tried to kill the sound in the entire world, unknowningly."

He head Banshee say, "Good going, lad. Now it's time to end Apocalypse's fun." He nodded and soon, they were heading into the lair.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich looked out of the cage when the noise started. He heard an explosion somewhere nearby, but soon, more noise followed. Noise of a fight. He quickly sent out a psionic message and said, _"Is anyone there?"_

Soon, his question was answered as Emma said, _"Skitz, it's Emma. Where are you?"_

He was thankful he heard an answer, but he couldn't give her an answer. _"All i know is that I'm in a cage. Be careful, Claudette is here, as well as the Dark Beast."_

He was almost surprised when Emma said, _"I know how to handle the Dark Beast. However, Claudette may be another problem. What about Soundwave?"_

Rich didn't know what to say on that one. Soundwave seemed different. He didn't want to see him get hurt. He just said, _"I don't know where he is, but he might be helping us. I don't know, but something tells me..."_ His thought was cut short when he heard the trapdoor open up. Soon, he was falling through a long chute. He had grabbed his sword, which was still in his possesion.

His slide ended when he fell into a large room. As he got to his feet, he heard a loud voice say, "So we finally are face to face, Cale." He turned to face the form of Apocalypse. He felt a slight fear build up in him, but he forced it back down and stared at his opponent. He said nothing, but Apocalypse said, "You will have honor as the last Cale to ever face me."

Rich just looked at him and said, "I won't be the last, Apocalypse, and you know it."

He was almost stunned when Apocolypse laughed and said, "I believe you will be. Your family can't keep going on, especially if you don't have an heir. Your own cousin is a lesbian. She's not going to have an heir. Besides, once I finish with you, your wife will be sent to Emplate. Now, let's end this." He saw Apocolypse's arm start to morph into a gun, and knew the battle was on. Rich waited until the blast was fired to jump. Now, he was in a life or death struggle, and he wasn't sure he could win.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Davis**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Davis walked through the lair as all hell was going on. He knew why all hell was breaking loose. Generation X had gotten past Golden. He smiled at that thought. He was the one who shut off the barrier generator. Now, he had another task to preform. He knew where he was headed. He knew what he had to do. He had to make things right. Before, he had asked for a sign to let him know what to do, and he had received it. He thought back to his school days. To the very day he first met 'Big Blue'.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Davis ... past**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Class had just ended. Everyone was getting up to head out. He looked as the girl that sat in front of him started out. He looked at her and said, "See you tomorrow, Kay."

He watched as she just looked at him, and said, "Alright, but watch those hands, Davis. I know that massage trick now." He inwardly giggled at that remark, especially as she headed out.

He then heard Rich say, "Don't worry, Kay. I'll keep an eye on him. He won't lay a hand on you."

He heard Kay say, "Good. Maybe then he'll keep his hands to himself."

As he watched her leave, he heard Rich say, "Of course, I didn't say anything about fingers." They both started to laugh. While Rich was shy, and quiet, he was more outgoing. He knew Rich tried to date once in high school, but that got ruined by his cousin.

Davis looked at Rich, and thought about Rich's cousin for a moment and said, "Hey Rich, do you think I'd ever have a chance with Godiva." He watched as Rich shook his head. "Bummer, I've seen her around school, and she is fine."

He watched as Rich got up and said, "Davis, do you ever think you'll settle down." He shook his head and Rich said, "I bet you are right."

Davis looked at Rich for a moment and said, "What do you want when you are older, I mean, ten years down the line."

He watched Rich as he thought for a moment and said, "In ten years, I hope to have an honest job, have a lovely wife, and hopefully, a child." Davis admired that about Rich. Rich's parents were wealthy, but he knew Rich never wanted the wealth. He knew Rich loved some of the simple things. He knew Rich never played sports, but Rich enjoyed reading, and playing games. He also didn't know if Rich was a mutant. Rich kept to himself, but he hung out with other people, some being mutants. He then heard Rich say, "Hey Davis, I have to head to a Key Club meeting. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He watched as Rich ran out the door and headed off.

Davis got out of the room, and out of the building. He knew he'd see Rich tomorrow. Right now, he had to worry about what to do. What was he gonna do when summer came? He walked down the sidewalk when he saw a man beckon him over. He approached the man and said, "Did you want to talk to me?"

The man was blue, and said, "Yes, I did, Davis. I want to make you as rich as your friend. In fact, even more powerful than him." Something in those words were intoxicating. He felt as if he was being pulled in, pulled in by this big blue man.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Davis .... present**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Davis remembered that day, the day he lost his soul to evil. Now, he was regaining it. As he headed down the hall, he just said, "It may not be enough, but I'm not going to let 'Big Blue' ruin that. The family is all Rich ever wanted, and I'm gonna make sure his wife doesn't lose that baby." He ran at breakneck speed to the lab where Yvette was kept. He just hoped he wasn't to late.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Monet**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Monet was still strapped to the wall of the room when she saw the Dark Beast re-enter the room. He was holding another syringe. She saw him looking over at her, and then over at Yvette. When he gaze came back to her, Monet couldn't hide he fear as she asked, "What are you up to with that?"

She watched as the Dark Beast approached her and said, "Nothing much, just a controlled test. I need to be sure of the reason it didn't work on Mrs. Cale. Don't worry, it won't hurt much. As for the sudden loss of your powers, that's only part of the effects."

She then heard Yvette say, "What do you mean when you said it didn't work on me? Are you saying that something happened to make it not work." Monet started to wonder why Yvette was asking questions, and then realized it. Yvette was buying her sometime, maybe in hopes rescue would so arrive.

She watched as the Dark Beast stopped and looked at Yvette. He just calmly said, "Let's just say there are some physiological differences between you and Monet. If this works on Monet, I know what to do to correct the problem."

Monet didn't like the sound of that. He was being vague about the difference. She wondered if it was the fact that she was a joined form, at least she had been. She then noticed that he was getting closer to her. She started to panic. She just said, "Generation X will stop you."

She watched an evil smile cross his face as he said, "Your sister will detain them long enough. Now it's time for your medicine." Monet felt tears well up in her eyes as the syringe got closer. She braced herself for the pinch of the needle going in, when a sonic blast sent the Dark Beast flying, and the syringe just hovered in the air. She looked to see Soundwave enter the room. She was thankful, but confused. Why was he helping?

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette was almost in shock when she saw Soundwave knock the Dark Beast flying. She then saw the syringe float into his hand. She didn't understand why it was happening, but was confused even more by his following actions. He ran over to the cage she was in and openned it. What was even more confusing was when he said, "I'm sorry for all this. You need to get out of here."

She looked at him, in surprise, and said, "Thank you, but why? What made you change your mind?" It was a question they deserved an answer to.

She was stunned when he said his next words. "I got a sign that told me I was making a mistake being evil. Now you better help Monet down, I'll make sure this little mixture gets put to a good use." She watched as he started to run out of the lab.

Before he could exit, she said, "What was the sign, Davis?" She knew of his real name, and if he was really changing sides, she wanted him to feel accepted. Besides, she wanted to know what had made him change his mind.

As she approached Monet, she heard him say, "Rich always wanted a family." She stopped and saw a surprised look on Monet's face. She was a little unclear what he meant, but when she turned to ask, he had disappeared.

She turned back to Monet, only to see Monet crying. She started to free her friend as she said, "Monet, what's wrong?"

She was almost stunned when Monet said the next words. "Yvette. You're going to be a mother. That was the difference. You're pregnant, and that saved you." Then it made sense. She knew when it had happened. They were in Japan and they started thinking about having kids. All the other times, they never thought about having kids. Something had heard their prayers, and answered them. No, all they had to do was find Rich and save him.

As she got Monet down, she psionicly said _"Davis, help Rich, while we try to get out." _She hoped he heard the message, and then she said, "Come on, Monet. We need to get out of here before anyone comes to." She held her friend, and they started to look for any of Gen X's mind patterns. They needed to get out of there.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Emma**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emma watched as her students fought their way further into Apocolypse's lair. She had expeceted more of a resistance, but Apocolypse must have had nothing but robots there. She also saw Q.T. in the back. None of the students were trying to attack her, but Emma knew why. While Q.T. was proving she was a fighter, she also had a lethal kiss. What bothered her most right now was that she hadn't seen some of the people she expected to see, like Soundwave, Claudette or the Dark Beast. She hoped that the Dark Beast wasn't experimenting on Yvette. Soon she said psioncally, _"Try to find the others, and be careful. Synch, you keep Q.T. at bay. You can synch wiht her powers."_

She watched as the others started to spread out, but felt a blast from behind. She fell to the floor, but caught herself. As she was about to get up, she herself getting lifted off the floor an straight into the wall. She was finally able to see her attacker. It was Claudette. As Claudette approached her, Claudette said, "You know, Emma, it's easy for me to take you on. With the freedom I've had, I can control these powers better than Monet ever could. I can even kill you before they can save you."

Emma felt the pressure on her body as it felt like it was being crushed. She looked at Claudette and said, "You think you can win, but Generation X will stop you." She then saw Sean trying to get to her, and realize that Claudette had an ace up her sleave. Claudette had put up a barrier.

She then heard Claudette say, "Emma, I have you pinned down, and out powered. The only thing that can help you now is a miracle. To be honest, I don't think that will happen." She felt Claudette's power push on her more and more.

She then saw Soundwave appear behind Claudette. That was not good. She saw a syringe in his hand. She didn't know what it was, but she suspected it was one of the Dark Beast's concoctions. Soon she heard Soundwave say, "It's time for your shot."

Soon she heard a scream and she felt herself fall to the floor. She wasn't sure what had happened, however, she heard a familiar voice in her head say, _"Emma, it's Yvette. Are you alright?"_

She looked at Soundwave standing away from Claudette who was clutching her arm and said, _"I think so, but I think I have Soundwave to thank. Are you on your way to us?"_

She heard Yvette say, _"Yes we are, but I hope Davis helps Rich. He's fighting with Apocalypse."_ Now she knew something had happened. And she could see Claudette was angry.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IX. Claudette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Claudette felt the burning sensation go through her body. She turned her attention away from Emma Frost to the person who hurt her. It was Soundwave, and then she saw the syringe. He had injected her with the same formula that was meant for Yvette and Monet. She just glared at Soundwave and said, "You turncoat. How dare you go against your master."

She watched as Soundwave backed away and said, "Let's just say I finally realized the mistake I made. Now, I must help my friend, and I suggest you make a hasty withdrawl. You aren't going to be the mutant you used to be." She watched as he ran away.

She went to blast him with a psi-bolt, but failed to do so. The formula was going into full affect. Soon, she'd be with out powers. She quickly psi-linked and shouted, _"Quinn, Golden, we have to leave now. Meet me in the lab."_ She got up and looked at Emma, who was somewhat recovering from her attack and said, "This is not over, Emma. We will meet again, once I'm back to normal." She quickly ran off, not knowning how much time she had until the formula stripped her of her mutant powers.

As they ran towards the lab, she heard Q.T. say, "What happened back there? What did that bastard do to you?" She knew of Q.T.'s animosity towards men, but this time it was well deserved.

When they entered the room, she saw that both Monet and Yvette were gone, and the Dark Beast was starting to recover. She went over to him and said, "Alright, you better tell me how to restore my powers, or do you have an antidote ready?"

She watched as the Dark Beast looked at her with an evil smile and said, "There is no antidote at the current time. However I did wonder about if the powers could be restored. I guess you'll have to be the test subject for that task."

She saw Golden enter the room and sign that their getaway vehicle was ready. She looked at the Dark Beast and said, "Do you have any files ready about this?" She grimaced in pain as she felt her body adjusting to the new changes.

She saw him nodded and point to his computer. She quickly checked it out as he said, "The only thing I have is a model of an outfit. That's all. It may be painful to wear, but it will prolong your time. The formula's effects are lethal if not kept in check."

She looked at the file, and grimace in pain again. The thought of the pain was not part of what she wanted, but she had no choice. She just said, "Thank you, Dark Beast. I'll appriciate it when you construct this device for me. Q,T., show him our appreciation."

Claudette heard Q.T. go, "With pleasure," only to be followed by the sound of a kiss. After it ended, she hear Q.T. ask her, "Where to now, boss?"

Claudette said, "We will have to stop someplace and procure something to ease my discomfort. I have a feeling that everything we tried to set in place is about to come crashing down." As they started to head out, she said "Maybe we should have warned Apocalypse that Soundwave's loyalty had changed." As they headed out, she inwardly cursed herself for not factoring Soundwave fully into the plan. Soundwave was not someone she was going to misjudge again.


	95. Fight To Finish

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Destiny

Fight To Finish

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Apocalypse**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Apocalypse had continued his shooting spree. It was starting to bother him that his advesary had dodged every shot. He watched as each time, Richard Cale jumped to the side. What bothered him even more was that boy was getting too close to him. He knew if the boy got too close, he'd gain his powers. Apocalypse decided he had to distract Cale. He looked at his advesary and said, "I must admit, Richard, that you are a credit to your family. However, you failed. By now, your wife is no longer the woman she used to be."

He watched as Cale started to close in on him and say, "You're lying."

The boy had spirit, a spirit he needed to crush. He smiled and said, "Am I, Cale? You're wife will be lucky if you survive, but I doubt you'd want to see her in the state she will be in. She'd be better off being a meal for Marius St. Croix. Maybe he'd take pity on her and kill her right away."

He watched as Cale was just stunned. He watched as the boy suddenly stopped moving, and almost fell to his knees. That was the sign that the boy was starting to give up. He watched as the boy just said, "It can't be true."

He quickly backhanded Cale, and sent him flying into a far wall. Apocalypse just said, "You know it's inevitable, Cale. I won't be destoried, and after you fall, your family will be no more. You will have failed your family, and the world. You weren't totally ready for this. You kept denying your background, and now, you will pay the price that destiny has set for you." He raised his arm again, charging the gun it was for a deadly blast. "You have failed, and I have won."

He was about to fire, when a blast sent him flying. It came out of nowhere, but the source made him realize that he had lost the mental grip he had put on Soundwave. As he got up, he heard Soundwave say, "You aren't going to win. My friend is capable of defeating you. His wife is fine, and so are his friends. Your allies are gone. It's just you versus us." He watched as Soundwave went over to Rich's side. He then realized the tide of the battle had changed.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich looked at his friend. He was a bit surprised at this turn of events, but he was thankful. Rich got up, and looked at Davis and said, "Got the sign you were looking for?" He saw Davis nod, and Rich then said, "We'll talk about it after we take care of Apocolypse." Rich had already taking on Davis' ability.

Davis then said, "I'll kick the music up a notch so you can hear it." Soon a new sound filled the room. It was a song by Davis' favorite group. Before Apocalypse could even attack, the two of them fired blast after blast at him. Davis just said, "This is for all the manipulating you did to me, 'Big Blue'."

Rich heard Apocalypse roar in pain, and then hear him say, "Take this, you traitor."

Rich knew what was coming and said, "Dive, Davis." They split apart just as the blast came where they were standing. Rich realized there was only one shot. He needed to get near Apocalypse. He saw Apocalypse was more focused on Davis, and Rich was going to make sure Davis didn't die at the monster's hand. Rich quickly got close to Apocalypse, and using the strength he gained with Apocalypse's power, he uppercutted the madman.

When Apocalypse hit the ground, Rich started to advance, with his sword in hand. The fire that came from his sword burned as if was fueled by the sun. He heard shallow breathing coming from Apocalypse. As he neared, he heard Apocalypse say, "Very bold, Cale, but foolish."

Rich saw Apocalypse raise his arm, but Rich swung his sword to leave a huge cut across the arm. As Apocalypse yelled in pain, Rich realized that he was going to win this battle, that he would survive long after it. He watched Apocalypse and said, "It's over. You aren't going to win this time. This time, the Cale's will survive."

He watches as Apocalypse pushed a button on the arm he just cut and said, "It does appear that way, but this war is far from over." Soon he saw Apocolypse fade from sight. The maniac fled.

He then heard Davis say, "We won. He's gone, right Rich?"

Rich just nodded and said, "He's gone, for now. But he'll be back. Now Davis, what was this sign you got that made you become good again." Rich was still looking at where Apocalypse had disappeared from.

Davis came over to him and said, "I couldn't let him take away your dream of a family. Besides, you always wanted to be a father."

Rich felt a wave of surprise come over him as he turned to Davis and said, "You mean to say that they found out Yvette is.."

He saw Davis nod and say, "Yep. It's why the formula didn't work on Yvette. And don't worry, I found a good place for Dark Beast's formula. It even helped with Claudette."

Rich looked at Davis and said, "Are you saying you injected Claudette with this formula, with whatever it does?" He saw Davis nod, and then he asked, "It isn't lethal, is it?" He saw Davis shake his head and Rich just laughed.

He then heard Davis say, "Hey Rich, lets get out of here. Maybe you can pull some strings to get my sentence reduced."

Rich nodded and said, "Ok, but let's get to everyone before we do that." As they walked, he said, "I still can't believe it. I'm going to be a father." That was the best news he received all day.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Jubilee**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jubilee was almost stunned as all the robots and security measures shut down at once. In fact, she wasn't even sure if it was a good thing. She had seen both Q.T. and Claudette run off, and Soundwave attack Claudette, but this was weird. She looked around as everyone else seemed shocked, and said, "Ok, what just happened?"

She heard Sean say. "It looks like Apocalypse might have left, which means he either won, or he lost." She was hoping it was the former.

She heard a gasp from Paige as her teammate said, "I don't know about that, but I think we have something to celebrate." She looked where Paige was pointing and saw two figures coming down the hall. She knew who both were, but there was still surprised at the sight of the two of them.

She then heard Angelo say, "Is that who I think it is with Penance?"

Jubilee just said, "If it is the same person I think it is, you are right. I think it's M."

She then heard Yvette say, "It is M. Claudette had the two of them separated. I think M is a bit drained. What happened to Claudette and her crew?"

Jubilee didn't know if she could answer that. She knew that Soundwave did something to her, but she didn't know what. She then heard Emma say, "The only person who knows what caused Claudette to back out is Soundwave."

Jubilee then heard laughter from down the hall, but she knew it was a good thing when Yvette smiled. She looked down the hall and saw Rich and Soundwave walking down the hall, laughing. As the two continued towards them, she heard Rich say, "Davis, I'm glad you showed up when you did. I think Apocalypse was more surprised than I was." It was then she knew had an idea of what happened. Soundwave has switched sides.

She then heard Soundwave say, "I think the look of anger on Claudette was priceless when I gave her that injection. Plus, I don't think she'll be a problem for a long time." She now knew a bit more about what had happened to Claudette.

She was surprised to hear Monet say, "If I understood correctly, Claudette won't have her powers for a while. At least you stopped her, and Dark Beast, and for that I thank you." Jubilee almost forgot about all of Monet's hightened abilities."

She watched as Sean stepped forward and said, "Soundwave, I want to thank ye for ye help. Your actions have shown us you intend to change sides. And Skitz, I'm glad to see ye are alright."

Jubilee looked at Soundwave and said, "I'd thank you too, but I think some of us deserve an apology." She was serious about that. After his first attack, Jubilee was almost scarred.

She was almost surprised when Soundwave said, "I know, and I apologize. However, I plan to go back to prison. Rich will call, and maybe he'll be able to shorten my sentence. I have been manipulated all this time, and I've just now realized it."

She then noticed that Rich had walked over to Yvette and gave her a huge hug. The two were happier than normal. Jubilee looked at the two and said, "Alright, what are you two hiding?"

She was the two smile at all of them as Rich said, "Davis told me the good news, but Yvette should tell all of you."

Jubilee was puzzled by that, especially when Monet nodded in agreement. She then heard her say, "Yes, Yvette, you tell them the good news."

She looked at Yvette who almost blushed, but finally said "I just found out during this whole ordeal. I'm pregnant. I'm going to be a mother." Jubilee almost yelped in joy, and could see a look of happy surprise on everyone's faces. There was more reason to celebrate then there had been before. Now all they had to do was get home.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett stood nervously at the door to Rich's office. This was it. This was the moment that judgement would be passed on their escapde in Japan. He knew Rich hadn't forgotten, but with all that happened, he was hoping Rich might have put it off a bit longer. He knocked lightly on the door and waited until a voice inside said, "Come in."

Darrett openned the door, and was surprised to see Yvette was in the office as well. She was sitting in one of the chairs, and looking over some papers. Rich was standing at the desk. Darrett just looked at the two of them and finally said, "You wanted to see me."

He watched as Rich turned to face him and motioned him forward. "Yes Darrett, come in and sit down." He did so, and then Rich said, "As you know, we heard about what you want to do. We want you to know that you have our approval." He was almost shocked when he heard that, but before he could question it, Rich just said, "We'll even help set up the wedding and everything."

Now he was flabergasted. He looked at Rich and said, "Why? I thought Clarice and I were being punished. I was afraid you were going to kick us out of school."

He watched as Rich took his hand and said, "Darrett. I'm not about to do something that heartless. Besides, in a month, you and Clarice will be man and wife, and starting a new life."

He was puzzled by what Rich said, and asked, "Why in a month? Why not later?"

Rich just said, "Darrett, in a month, Yvette and I are heading to England, and we won't be coming back. I'm taking a job there as royal advisor, and we are not going alone. I'm offering you and Clarice a job as bodyguards. Now, what do you say?"

Darrett was glad that Rich and Yvette would fund his marriage, and offer a job. The only thing he wondered about was the school. He looked at Rich and Yvette and said, "What about the school? I mean, you do teach here."

He watched as Yvette looked at him and said, "Rich spoke to Emma before we called you here. When Rich and I leave, Emma is going to close the school. She's going to announce it later in the main hall. Now, do you want us to help with the wedding?" He could see how eager she was to help, and then remembered, they didn't have the joy of a wedding ceremony. Their marriage was done legal, real quick.

He just smiled and said, "Ok. That would be nice. However, the real problem is..."

Before he could continue what he was about to say, he heard Rich say, "I know. You'll have to tell them before too long. However, that can wait until closer to the big day. Right now, I want you to go to the main hall." He nodded and left he office. He was going to spring the big new right there in the hall. It was going to be a day to remember.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Emma**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emma waited for everyone patiently in the main hall. As she stood there, she heard Sean say, "How do ye think they are going to take the news. Part of it is good, but the rest might come down hard on them."

Emma nodded. She knew it would hit most of them hard, but it would hit Monet hardest. After so long, Monet was now back at the school, and part of the news would panic her. Emma just said, "I think Richard has something planned, since she doesn't have a home to go to anymore."

She heard Sean say, "I hope so. He and Yvette have been making phone calls since they got back. I think they are trying to help everyone by getting some things set up."

Emma watched as some of the students entered the room. She quietly said, "I hope they do get things set up. This is going to shake things up." She saw Sean nod as the last of the students finally came in. Emma noticed that everyone was there. She then said, "Listen up everyone, we have some big news to announce. Rich, Yvette, can you come over here and join Sean and myself."

She saw Rich and Yvette nod and head over to their side. When they finally got there, she heard Sean say, "First of all, we have big news from Xavier. Congratulations Paige and Jono. You two will be joining the X-Men." Emma was glad when she saw everyone congratulating the two.

When everyone calmed down, she looked at Rich, who just said, "Yvette and I will be leaving here in a month." She watched as a shocked look come over everyone's face. It was hard news to accept.

She then heard Yvette say, "Rich has accepted a job in England, and since we are going to have our first child, we want to be settled in before that happens. Rich is already doing things to handle things when we leave."

Emma then said, "Which includes jobs in the various branches of his company. You can decide what you want to do, but he's provided for all of you since when he leaves, the school will close."

Emma heard Monet gasp as she said, "What will happen to me? I have no home to go to now."

Emma just said, "Don't worry. I think Rich has something planned for you." She watched as Rich nodded, and she then said, "Is that all the news?"

She watched as Darrett got up to say, "No. I have something to announce." She wondered what the boy had planned. She didn't know what Rich had said to him before, but it was linked to Clarice as he approached her. She was surprised when he got down on one knee and said, "Clarice Ferguson, will you marry me?" Emma watched in shock as the girl nodded.

Now, Emma knew part of why Rich spoke to Darrett first. She want to object when Rich just said to her, "They are all they have. Their families don't exist here, and they need each other. Besides, they will be going to England with me and Yvette. We are already planning the wedding to be before we leave."

Emma smiled at that. Rich was providing for them, like they were an extension of the family. She held back a tear and said, "Alright everyone. We have things to plan." She watched as they all gathered for a moment. She looked at them like a mother who watched her children all grow up. It was a joyous sight.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Grimore**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Grimore watched as Yvette and Rich entered the room. He looked at them and said "Congratulations." He knew all about their good news. He then said, "You have alot to celebrate. You are the first to survive the battle, but then you had good reason."

He watched as Rich smiled and said, "In deed, plus we heard on the news about a strange crime. Apparently Claudette is trying to cope with her new problem." He saw the two laugh about that. He knew it meant Claudette would be less of a problem for the meantime, but it did not rule out the other of the St. Croix children.

He then said, "Has Gabe called you back?" He watched as they nodded. That was good news. It meant Gabe would take care of Monet. He then said, "What are you going to do about the business?"

He watched as Yvette said, "Rich is going to ask Godiva to take over the company. She's more business minded."

Grimore nodded and said, "Very wise. Richard, I know you are ready to head to England, but I know before you head there, another trial looms on the horizon. You've settled things with Apocalypse and Soundwave, but more is on the way. You will be facing a foe soon that, depending on the outcome, will dictate alot of things." He saw a worried look cross the faces of his masters. He then said, "Don't worry. That is some time off. I know you can handle it. As for now, start getting things ready." He then leapt down and left them to wonder. Grimore knew they would handle it. He knew because they were strong.


	96. Plans Set In Motion

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

Plans Set Into Motion

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Godiva**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Godiva slowly drove down the road that lead to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. This was her first time going to the school, however, it was not the first time she heard of it. The first time she had heard of the school, she was told to call them by Cartier St. Croix. It was then she found out her cousin, Rich, was attending the school. After that, she heard the place a few more times. The latest was the most important. Rich had called her to come to the school, and to bring Kyuukai. She knew Rich was soon leaving the school, but he had said he wanted to talk to her about the company. As she neared the school, she heard Kyuukai ask, "So what is Rich going to ask you about, and why do we have to be up here so long."

She looked at her lover and said, "I don't know, Kai, but I want to find out. All he said was that part of it was linked to the company, and other things." She had a suspicion on what some of the other things were. Maybe they would be asked to be godparents to his upcoming child. It was a nice thought. She knew Kyuukai wanted kids one day, but they would have to adopt. She pulled into the driveway of the school and said, "We will find out soon enough. There is the school."

She watched as Kyuukai looked out the window and said, "It's lovely. I wonder why Rich would ever want to leave such a place."

She giggled and said, "Well, you remember all that happened at the museum. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to find someplace he and his wife can hide from Emplate. Those two had a close call at the museum."

She heard Kyuukai say, "I know. It's a good thing that Darrett boy showed up when he did." She watched as Kyuukai stopped for a moment and said, "Godiva, do you think my ability might be a problem. I mean, with all the people we might meet. I might focus on someone like Paige again. She was very nice to look at."

Godiva went over to Kyuukai and kissed her. When she ended the kiss, she just said, "Remember, Kai, you are with me. No wandering eyes, and no wandering thoughts. Last thing we want is for one of them to totally embarass themselves because you were focusing on them. Now, let's get our bags and head in. They probably know we are here." She glanced over at the window, only to see a gray skinned boy move away. She then said, "They do know. Angelo caught our little kiss." She heard Kai giggle a bit. It was one of the things she loved about her.

She grabbed her bags and went up the steps to the main door. As she approached, she saw someone open the door. She knew who it was as the redhead said, "Glad you got here. Rich was starting to worry you wouldn't show."

Godiva was first in the door. She put her bags down and gave Yvette a hug. She then said, "Congratulations on everything. That you two are married, and that you are going to be a mother." She could tell Yvette was blushing. She felt she had to say it, since she didn't even get to see them wed. She then changed the topic. "I hate to leave Kai alone, but where is Rich? He said we need to talk." She saw a slight frown cross Kai's face, but knew they would have time together later.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette knew why Godiva wanted to see Rich. She thought back on the reason Godiva was called up here. She looked at Godiva and said, "Rich is in his office, but he's in the middle of a conversation with a friend." She knew who it was that was in there, but she wasn't sure if Godiva realized who it was.

She was almost startled when Kyuukai said, "Is it someone we know? And is it linked to whatever is going on in the next room?" Yvette realized what Kyuukai was asking. She must have either heard, or saw something.

Yvette smiled and said, "Well, in a few days, we will be having a wedding here. You both are invited. As for the person Rich is meeting with, it's a friend of ours who is going to take care of Monet. After the wedding, the school is closing down. Godiva, you may want to head up to Rich's office."

Godiva looked at her and said, "Ok. Rich had told me how to find his office. You just keep an eye on Kyuukai" She watched Godiva headed off and heard her say, "Make sure her mind doesn't wander."

When Godiva was out of sight, Yvette turned to Kyuukai and said, "What is this about your mind wandering?"

She watched as Kyuukai blushed and said, "Lately, my powers are either becoming easier to activate, or I'm losing my concentration on them. Either way, I'm causing people to almost vocallize their deepest desires, or even try and act on them."

Yvette then remember the incident at the museum, when Paige started to go after Jono. Yvette just said, "Maybe Emma could help you. We've already had Darrett and Clarice act on emotion. I don't think we need that happening again."

Yvette saw Kyuukai looking at her, and heard her say, "I understand. However, it's not just emotional things. My mind wandered once onto a kid, and they ended up hurting themselves. I paid the hospital bill, but I've been trying to control my power all this time."

Yvette started to realize the extent of Kyuukai's powers, and the hazards that could be involved. She hoped that Emma or someone could help Kyuukai. She knew about the whole Onslaught incident and remembered that Onslaught was all of Professer Xavier's rage, all bottled up. Yvette then thought about Rich's anger. If Kyuukai would unleash that, that could be as bad as Onslaught. She thought about that and started to think how she would calm him down. She then said, "Well, we'll talk to them about it. I mean, if your power were to wander onto Rich, I know a good way to calm him down." She felt a devilish smile cross her lips. She then said, "I..."

That quickly she slapped her hands to her mouth. She looked at Kyuukai who looked down to her feet and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get embarassed." She felt her cheeks go red. She was lucky. She didn't say what she was thinking, and caught herself in time.

Before Yvette could say anything, she heard the one door open and looked to see Monet coming out. She quickly regain her composure and said, "Monet, come over here and talk with us." She watched as Monet just walked over, and she hope she had stopped blushing.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Monet**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Monet walked into the main hall. When Yvette called her over, she wondered what prompted it. As she walked over, she notice that Yvette was blushing and Kyuukai had an apologetic look on her face. It had been a long time since she had seen Kyuukai, but she did remember the power the girl had. Monet decided not to ask about what might have happened and said, "Hello, Kyuukai. Angelo told us that you and Godiva had arrived."

She watched as Kyuukai nodded and said, "It's nice to see you again, Monet. After everything that happened at the museum, we kept in touch with your father." Monet felt a bit of pain at the mention of her father. She then heard Kyuukai say, "I'm sorry. I know it must be hard for you to have lost him."

Monet just swallowed a bit and said, "You don't know how painful it is for me. I couldn't do anything to stop it, and now, I have no home to go to." Again, she felt a pain, but this time, she knew where it was. She put a hand to her head and said, "I'm sorry if I lashed out. I've been having sporadic headaches lately."

She watched as Yvette stepped forward and said, "Not another headache. Ever since you got back, you've been having sporadic headaches. Do you want to lay down?"

Monet just shook her head and said, "No, Yvette, I'll be fine. I think the best thing to do is to get back to work. There are still many things to do for the wedding. Besides, we don't want anything to go wrong."

She saw Yvette nod and say, "Yes, we are accounting for every guest, and hoping for no unexpected guests." She knew what Yvette was hinting at, but she also knew her brother knew nothing of these plans. Ever since she returned, she had discovered that Gen X had been keeping better tabs on Emplate's spies.

Monet walked back to the door and said, "I'm hoping Marius doesn't find out about the wedding. That's one visitor we don't need on the big day. However, I do hope he arrives a few days after." She could imagine the shock on his face when he would discover that all of Generation X was gone. It would be the ultimate defeat for him. The prizes he tried to claim for so long, gone their different ways.

She then heard Yvette say, "After Rich is done talking with Godiva, we'll be down to talk about the wedding. Hopefully, we can get it done before the rest of the company arrives." She nodded and then watched as the two headed off to Rich's office. She could only imagine what Rich was planning for his company, but knew Godiva was a key point in it. As she returned to the hall, her headache got slightly worse. She wondered what was causing these headaches. They occured almost daily since she returned to the school. Maybe they were an after effect of the spliting of her and Claudette's minds. However, she was not going to let them stop her from helping set up for Darrett and Clarice's wedding.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Marius**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Marius looked on at the image before him. It had been months since he was able to spy on Generation X. After his successful capture of the four girls, he had been sending D.O.A out on missions to kidnap more girls. It seemed Christina's power only affected women, so he had to focus on those. He also had D.O.A capture other mutants, but that helped to feed him. With the new powers he got when his father died, he didn't need to feed as often, and he could use his new powers to do more, which included spying on Generation X through Monet's eyes. He listened as Monet said to the group before her, "It looks like Godiva and Kyuukai are going to be here for the big event."

Marius chuckled to himself as he made note of the that. He could see they were preparing for a wedding. He wasn't sure whose wedding it was, but an earlier statement grabbed his interest. He heard Jubilee say, "It's hard to believe that after the wedding the school will be closed. I wonder what everyone will do."

Marius waved his hand and the image disappeared. He stood and said, "So, after this wedding, the school will be closing. Then, I must act fast." He made his way to the exit of his planning room. Ever since Claudette's last contact to him, he had been using the spell to spy on Generation X. He could not thank Claudette enough for the deed that allowed him the new powers, as well as his restored health. He no longer needed the respirator, and his body was back to the way it was. He loved it, especially as he walked through the halls of his hideout. A few months ago, he had to abandon the lighthouse. With his new powers, he made it invisible to all but those he wanted to see it. It was a castle, one of his design. He eventually made his way down to the room where he had Christina and some others he captured locked up.

As he walked down the hall to the door, he heard a voice say, "Hello handsome." He knew who it was. It was Elane. The love of his life, and the mother of his son. He looked up and saw her standing near the door to the room he kept Christina in. As he neared the door, he heard her say, "Find out anything more? I know you've been spying on Generation X."

He nodded and said, "Indeed. They are going to have a wedding there in two days. After that, the school is closing. Generation X will go its seperate ways. If we are to strike, we must strike soon. However, I think I have an idea of how to catch them with their guard down. Godiva and Kyuukai are there, and I think Kyuukai's power will serve us well." He then looked at Elane and said, "Why are you here?"

He watched as she smiled and said, "It's feeding time for Marcus. Freeze Frame has him in there right now. Freeze Frame is a good member to our group. Especially with the reward you gave him." Marius chuckled at that. He figured that Britney was a good choice as a prize for Freeze Frame's success at the mission. In fact, Freeze Grame seemed quite invaluable.

He neared the door and said, "I know. However, it is time to see if Christina will finally give in. I figure that sooner or later, she will tire of those same four walls. Besides, how many women has she sent to a fate as a feast for the growing group." He chuckled when he thought of that. During his transformation, his hunger forced him to slaughter the two others that they had captured with Britney and Christina. Now, he was going to offer Christina a chance at her own taste of limited freedom.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Freeze Frame**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Freeze Frame held the baby in place as it fed of one of the new girls D.O.A. had brought in. He never watched the baby feed, but he always kept his eyes on Christina. Part of him felt sorry for her, the other part envied her a bit. However, it was due to her that he fell into Emplate's good graces. As he continued to look at her, she glanced at him and said, "Stop looking at me, you monster."

Freeze Frame just wanted to make her regret say that, but decided not to. He just said, "Consider yourself lucky, Christina. You could be like your friends."

He saw a tear run down her face. "All my friends are dead." He watched as she looked up and said "And you killed them all, you monster."

Freeze Frame glanced over his shoulder as he saw Emplate enter ther room. He heard Emplate chuckle as he said, "Not true, Christina. You're friend Britney is still alive, but then, she's the one who turned you over to us, so maybe it is true." He watched as another tear ran down Christina's face. He then heard Emplate say, "However, I'm prepared to give you some freedom, all you have to do is help me capture Generation X."

He was amazed when she just looked at Emplate and said, "Only if you and all your lackeys drop dead before you go to do that." Freeze Frame saw her punctuate her statement by spitting at Emplate.

It was then he realized that Emplate's son had finished eating. He looked at Emplate and said, "I think your son is done eating." He looked at the girl the baby had been feeding off of. She looked as if it was hard for her to breathe.

He watched as Emplate took the baby and said, "Little Marcus was hungry, but this time he didn't finish off his meal." He watched as Emplate waved his hand and the girl started to glow and get better. He followed Emplate as they left the room. Appartently Emplate's business was done in the room. As they headed out, Emplate just said, "She's just upset that she is basically immortal. I casted and instant regeneration spell on her. She will always be healed."

He walked with Emplate and said, "I understand. Similar to what you did to Britney, and I'm still thankful for that. I probably would have supped her to death twenty times now."

When they finally reached his room, Emplate said, "Yes, plus the submission spell makes her your slave, even though she doesn't want that." He nodded with that. Since that spell, he had done all sorts of things with Britney. He then heard Emplate say, "In two days, we will be making an attack on Generation X. If things go right, you will have a new slave."

Freeze Frame opened his door and said, "I'd like that, but right now Britney needs attention." He saw Emplate nod and he closed the door to the room. He turned around and said, "Ok, Britney, your master is hungry." He saw her look up at him, with tears in her eyes. He watched as she got up and started to walked towards him. Sometimes, he felt sorry for her, but this was not one of those times. He knew if she had the chance, she would attack him in a second, but the spell made her obey all he said, even if her mind didn't want it. When she was close enough, he placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Don't worry, feasting will be over in a while." He heard her scream in pain as he enjoyed his meal.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Rich**  
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Rich sat at his desk while Gabe sat in the chair on the other side. For the past hour, they got caught up on each others lives. Rich had told him all that had transpired over the past few months. When he finally finished, Gabe looked at him and said, "Sound like you haven't had a quiet few months. Sounds like that escapade in Japan might cause a stir."

Rich nodded and said, "I was lucky that I got the master copies of that whole thing," he said holding up the tape. "It's just like what you went through a while back, isn't it?" He watched Gabe shiver at that. Rich then said, "I'm just lucky that what happened last month wasn't sent out over the airwaves."

He saw Gabe nod and say, "You were lucky in that respect. It's good that you survived that confrontation, but I think that confrontation is part of your choices now." Rich nodded. It was then that Gabe said, "So why did you really call me here. It wasn't just to catch up on life."

Rich nodded and said, "You're right, Gabe. You know I'm going to be leaving here, and that also means the school will be closing. Most everyone has someplace they can go, except for Monet. I was hoping she could stay with you. Besides, with what you do, you could use the help."

He watched as Gabe nodded and said, "You're right on that one. Besides, it will be nice having some more people at the home. Alright, she can stay. She just better be used to handling strange cases."

Rich gave Gabe a look and said, "Like handling her brother isn't strange. It might be a quiet change compared to what has happened here." He heard Gabe laugh, and shortly afterwords, a knock at the door. Rich looked up and said, "Come in." He watched as the door opened and Godiva entered the room. Rich was glad to see his cousin after so long. He just stood and said, "Godiva, come on in and have a seat. I was just talking with Gabe. He's a friend of the family."

He watched as Gabe stood and shook Godiva's hand and said, "So you are the one he plans to hand control of his company to. I remember hearing from Cartier you had a good business mind. I hope you use that same business mind with the company." Rich could see a sad look cross Godiva's face. He glanced at Gabe, and Gabe quickly let go and said, "I'm sorry. Forgot how touchy that subject is."

He watched as Godiva sat down and said, "It's ok. He helped get my museum started, but I still wish he was around." He then saw Godiva look straight at him and say, "Now, what is this about the company?'

Rich looked at Godiva and said, "Tomorrow, we are heading to the one branch for a conference with all the branch executives. At that time, I will announce that you will be the acting CEO. We will be leaving early so we get back in time for the wedding rehearsal. Planning to stay for the big event?" He knew how Godiva felt about wedding cerimonies, but didn't want to say anything.

He was surprised when Godiva said, "I think Kyuukai and I will stay, but, we may need to find a way to keep Kyuukai's mind from wandering."

This had Rich worried. He remembered when Kyuukai's power wandered at the museum. He looked at Godiva and said, "Who is she with now?"

Godiva looked at him and said, "She's with Yvette, but I told her not to let Kyuukai's mind wander. You don't think..."

Rich didn't say a word aloud, but quickly focused on the link he had with Yvette. He quickly said, _"Hun, is everything alright there? Is Kyuukai focused on anyone?"_ He hoped Kyuukai hadn't focused on anyone, but he also knew that was a long shot.

He was a bit upset when Yvette finally said, _"I'm sorry, hun, but she got a bit focused on me. I think she's going to need some psychic help. We may want to ask Emma to help her. I hate to say this, but I better stay with her right now, just so she doesn't focus on anyone in the hall."_ That was not a comforting thought.

Rich stood and said, "Maybe we should go talk to Emma, Godiva. Apparently, Kyuukai's powers almost did something to Yvette." He then turned to Gabe and said, "Gabe, you don't have to join us to see Emma. If you want to, go down to the hall."

He was not to startled when Gabe said, "No, I think I better head with you. You looked shaken up, apparently at the news, or was it something Yvette told." As they headed out the door, Rich knew he would have to tell the reasons he was so worried, but he would hold that until they entered Emma's office. He then lead the way to Emma's office.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Emma**  
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Emma Frost looked at herself in the mirror. The dress she had for the wedding was beautiful, and it also made her more beautiful. Personally, she didn't think it was possible to be more beautiful, but this proved her wrong. It was more reserved that some of her other outfits, and maybe that was a good thing. She really didn't want to head back to that bad girl image. She liked being a teacher of young mutants. She then felt a tear come to her eyes. That was going to end soon. After the wedding, the students were leaving. Some were going to England, others were joining the X-Men. She was going to miss them all. At that time, she heard a knock on her door, she quickly dried her tears and said, "Come in." She could still hear a small hint of sadness in her voice.

Emma turned to see the door open, and saw Rich poke his head in the door. He had a concerned look no his face as he said, "Something wrong, Emma. If so, we can stop by later."

She smiled and said, "No, nothing serious. Just thinking of how when you leave, the school will be closing. I feel like a mother to everyone here." She watched as Rich nodded and then noticed that he wasn't alone, behind him were Godiva and Gabe. It was then she realized that Rich's concerned look stemmed more from something he heard before getting to her office. She just said, "Is there something wrong that you need help with?"

She was amazed when Godiva just said, "It's Kyuukai. I think she needs help psychicly. Lately, her power has been going a little out of control. Normally, she can focus on a person and her power doesn't affect them, and if we are going to be here an extended time, I'm worried about your students."

Emma stopped herself from crying again, but said, "I understand your concern. I don't know how I can help, but from last I remember, at least self control was still evident."

She was almost startled when Rich said, "It just affected Yvette. You know how shy she is. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some things I don't know about her." Emma realized what he was saying. Yvette, even though she had openned up more since Rich's arrival, was still shy about many things.

She looked at Rich and remembered one other thing. There were other guests coming. She looked at Rich and said, "Your concern is noted. Some of our other guests may feel the affects as well. However, I don't think I am powerful enough to help her."

She then heard Gabe say, "Think it might take some supernatural help?" She had been thinking the same thing, only not supernatural, but alien.

She nodded and said, "Most likely something like that. Richard, Jean and Professor Xavier will be here later. Maybe one of them can help, and the other can act as a back-up. Anyhow, I think it is time that we head down and talk with everyone. Have all the students accepted the offers you made?"

She watched as Rich nodded and said, "The only confirmed onces are Darrett, Clarice and Monet. We know where Jono and Paige are going. The rest are still up in the air. In fact, I was going to ask about it in a few minutes."

Emma walked over to the door and said, "Let's find out together. It's time to talk with them about this." She openned the door and started to head out. She knew the rest were following her, and she didn't care. All she cared about now was finding out if all her students were going to be cared for.

--------------------------------


	97. Revealing One's Roots

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

Revealing One's Roots

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Jubilee**  
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Jubilee worked on the decorations. It was hard to believe that in two days time, a wedding would be here. She secretly hoped it would be her and Everett's wedding, but Ev never proposed or anything. If that was going to happen, it would have to be soon. She hadn't even decided on the offer Rich had made, and he was probably going to ask about it soon. She looked at Everett for a moment and said, "Hey, Ev, have you been thinking about Rich's offer?"

She watched as he stopped working on his set of decorations and said, "I've talked it over with Angelo a few times. I'm thinking about taking the job offer. I know there is a branch in my hometown, and maybe Rich will let us live there."

Jubilee was somewhat shocked when he said that. She looked at him and said, "Is Angelo gonna take the job offer to?" She watched as he shook his head. This puzzled her a bit, unless. She looked him in the eye and said, "Do you mean us, as in, you and me?"

When he nodded, her heart almost skipped a beat. She was almost surprised when he took her hands and said, "Jubilation Lee, will you marry me?" She couldn't speak but only nodded her head. It was the most important thing she ever wanted. She saw a smile cross his face as he said, "Thank you."

She wanted to kiss him right there, but she looked over to see Darrett a few feet away. She never liked when he did that. It seemed like he didn't know when someone was having a beautiful moment. She looked at him and said, "Darrett, is there something you needed?" She didn't make it sound mean, mainly because his special day was coming up.

She watched as he start to rub his foot into the ground and said, "Actually, I need to speak with Everett for a moment. Well, he and Daria, if you can spare him." Jubilee wondered if it had something to do with the wedding, or if it had to do with what Everett just asked her.

She watched as Everett just said, "We can talk right here. It's no problem." Jubilee saw Darrett shake his head. She wondered what could be so important that Darrett had to talk about in secret.

Jubilee finally said, "Listen Ev, I think this is something he needs to talk to you with alone. Besides, I still have to get the decorations done. Tomorrow is the rehersal." She watched as he nodded and headed off with Darrett. She had to admit, Darrett was a very perplexing guy, but even as she thought about it, there was some sort of familiarity to him as well.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett led Everett over to a corner of the room, one where Daria was already at, but Mondo was with her. What he was going to ask them, he wanted to do in private. He hoped what he was going to tell them wouldn't break up the team. When he finally got to the corner, he looked at Mondo and Daria and said, "Mondo, do you mind if I speak with Daria for a moment, alone?"

He watched as Mondo shook his head and said, "Not at all. Your special day is coming up. If it is something you must ask in private, I will allow you to. Besides, I should be helping with some of the decorations and I've been talking here for too long." He watched as Mondo walked off to help with some more of the decorations.

He then heard Daria say, "What is this all about, Darrett? Is is about the wedding?"

He nodded and said, "Yes, it's about the wedding. I need to ask you two a small favor. I need to ask you to stand in for my parents at the wedding." He saw a shocked look cross their faces. He wondered if they truely understood why he had asked them.

Darrett then heard Everett say, "Darrett, why don't you ask Sean and Emma? Can't they do it?"

Darrett shook his head and said, "No, they are standing in for Clarice's parents." He hoped they would ask him why he picked them. He didn't want to keep it a secret much longer.

He then heard Daria ask, "Well, why didn't you ask Rich and Yvette? I'm sure they would have stood in for your parents. Besides, you never told us who your parents were."

That was the point he wanted to mention. He looked at them and said, "Actually, Rich said I should ask you two to do it." He paused and looked at them as he said his next words. "You two are my parents, in my timeline. I never told anyone here because I didn't want to split up the team. So, I've been sitting on this secret for a long time. I'm surprised that neither of you suspected it." He looked up at their faces and was surprised. On Everett's face was a look of shock, but on Daria's face was a look of utter joy. He started to wonder if he should have asked that.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Daria**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Daria felt her heart skip a beat when Darrett told them the news. It was more than she could hope for. The fact that she was his mother in an alternate timeline meant she could have children. A fear that she had for a long time was now gone. She was so happy at the news, she wanted to tell everyone. She even wanted to tell Mondo the good news. She was so caught up in it that she almost forgot what Darrett was asking them. She smiled and said, "Darrett, I would be honored." She then looked over at Everett, and he seemed more in shock. She looked at him and said, "Everett, what's wrong?"

She noticed that Darrett just said, "I don't think he took the news as well as you did. It is sort of odd news to get. You took it alot better than I expected."

She looked at Darrett for a moment and smiled. She put her hands on his shoulders and said, "Listen Darrett, when I first got here, I found out I was part Sentinel. I thought I would never be able to have kids when I found that out. It was a very difficult thing for me to handle. I also now understand some of the things I've noticed about you. I've noticed how you look like you disapprove of my relationship with Mondo."

She watched as he shifted nervously and said, "I know. It's just kind of hard seeing my parents with someone other than each other. I'm sort of afraid that I won't exist."

It was then, she heard Everett speak. She saw him look at them and said, "Darrett, you already did that when you saved Rich and Yvette. The fact you are still here shows that you still exist."

She then said, "He's right. We may be your parents in another timeline, but this is this one. Plus, you are part of Generation X, and it a big family." She watched as he nodded and then said, "Now, I think you need to help Everett swallow this. I think he's having a hard time with it." She stepped back and decided to let them figure things out. Now she had some things to think about as well.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Everett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Everett saw Daria step back, but he still couldn't totally fathom it. Darrett was his son, from a different timeline. It was a bit mind boggling at first, but it explained some things. It explained why he could never synch up with Darrett. It was often seen that related mutants couldn't harm one another directly. It also explained some of Darrett reactions to things. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Darrett and said, "So, I was your father in your timeline."

He saw Darrett nod slowly and then said, "Although, I never got to know you. You died when I was a baby." Everett was a bit upset about that news. Part of him wanted to ask how, but he decided not to. Darrett's timeline was already messed up.

He then thought about why he held this news in so long. He looked at Darrett and said, "I understand why you held this information in. If I were in the same spot, I might have done the same. However, I would be honored to stand in for your father." He saw Darrett smile.

The moment got a bit awkward when Darrett hugged him and quietly said, "Thanks, Dad." Everett had wondered how that would look to everyone, and even wonderd how he could explain it. The only sign he got that it was seen was a slight giggle from Daria. He then felt Darrett let go and heard him say, "Sorry, got caught up in the moment."

Everett just smiled and said, "It's ok. Eventually, we might have to tell everyone. We just have to keep it as calm as possible, because some people might get upset." He saw Darrett nod in agreement. Everett then said, "Is there anything else you might want to tell us about your timeline?"

Darrett just looked at him and said, "No. Not right now at least, but maybe at a later time. I might even send it to you in a letter." Everett understood that. Some of the surprises Darrett might know are not ones that should be shared. Darrett then said, "Besides, I think we all need to think about the immediate future." He saw Darrett motion behind them and he turned. Into the room walked Rich, Yvette, Godiva, Emma and Gabe.

Now the time was upon them. Ev looked at Daria and Darrett and said, "I guess some of us should have our fates picked out. However, I don't know if I've finally decided."

He watched Daria say, "I think I need another day as well." He had to agree with that. There was alot to think about and consider about where they were going to go, but not much time. He hoped that they could have one more day to decide. With that thought in his head, they headed over to the others.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Sean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sean made his way into the main hall. It was hard to believe that this would be one of the last few times he would walk through that hall. He stopped for a moment, and looked around. He wondered if the hall could talk, what tales it could tell. He had to believe a few wouldn't be good memories, but that would be expected. He looked over at the one wall that had a class picture on it, as well as individual pictures. The main class picture was not even a month old, but it fit. It was hard to believe that back when the school opened, there was only six individuals, soon to be seven at the time. Now there were twice that. He had to admit that the oddest addition to the gallery was the picture of Rich and Yvette's cat, but they had insisted on that. Grimore was an unofficial member. As Sean looked on at all the pictures, he just said, "It's hard to believe that in a few days, that will be over. I cannae help but wonder what we will all do when ye leave."

He was almost startled when a familiar voice answered his verbal statement by saying, _"I'm not sure what you will do then, Sean; however, right now you can open the front door."_ Sean knew who was speaking. He turned and ran over to the front door to the hall. He openned it up to look at Professor Xavier's smiling face. Before he could say anything, Charles said to him, "Sean, it's good to see you, and sorry for the psionic command. Jean and I could tell you were thinking about upcoming events."

Sean stood back as the group that was with Professor X entered the hall. He watched as Jean, Scott, Ororo and Bishop entered the room. All were familiar with most of the students. As they entered, Sean just said, "We're glad ye all could make it. The kids will be happy to see you. Is this everyone?"

He watched as Jean said, "Well almost everyone. Some of the others couldn't make it, but one decided they had to come. They wanted to answer a question they had about one of your students."

Sean was a bit surprised at this, and started to wonder if it was a good idea. He knew that Kyuukai was here. He knew Rich had asked both Godiva and Kyuukai to come up for the final days of the school. However, he didn't know who else the X-men brought up, and if it was Logan, the last thing he wanted was for Logan to become uninhibited. Sean calmly said, "Who had a question?"

He was stunned when one person stepped in the door and said, "Ah did, sugah." He looked on as Rogue stood in the doorway, still dressed in her usual uniform with the X-men. Then his worries started to act up again. Rogue was a totally different problem all together. He then hoped no one would pick up on his worries.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Xavier**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Professor Xavier felt the panic emminating from Sean when Rogue entered the room. He looked over at Sean and just said, "Is there something the matter, Sean?"

He could see a brief look of panic cross Sean's face, and then heard him sigh. He watched one of his former X-Men said, "Aye, there may be a slight problem. Some of our guests for the wedding have some unique abilities, and I may be a bit worried about how said abilities might affect some of ye."

He then heard Ororo say, "Are you worried that one of them has an out of control telepathy problem?" At first, that was what he thought as well, but then he picked up on something else. Some others were concerned about the same problem.

He heard Sean say, "No. Actually, it's a friend of Rich's cousin. The lass can actually remove one's inhibitions." Now he understood the problem, especially with Rogue here.

He heard Bishop then say, "Could be a problem if Logan was here, however, I think we can rule that out." He then heard Bishop laugh. It was one of the rare times he heard Bishop laugh. It was a good thing to hear.

He then said, "I will agree with that, but if you think that might be a concern, and something tells me it may very well be, we might want to talk with Emma about it. Maybe we should go in the hall with the others." He watched as Sean nodded, but apparently, something was still bothering him. He then looked over to the wall. Charles focused on the one photo, the one of all the students, and said, "Let me guess. You are going to miss them, aren't you?"

He watched as Sean nodded and said, "Aye. Tis hard to believe they are ready to move on, especially with Yvette. When she first came here, she was afraid of everyone, and now look at her. She's married, and soon to be a mother."

Professor Xavier was surprised by that news, however, he did know that she was also married. He would have to know more about it when he heard Jean say, "She must be overjoied about that. I mean, given how she was when she first arrived." He saw Sean nodded and heard Jean ask, "Do they know how soon?"

He watched as Sean nodded and said, "About seven months from now, and at that time, they will be in England. I'm hoping to get a chance to see the child after it's born." He knew why Sean hoped to do that. He then saw Sean smile and say, "With all this chat, we forgot about the others. They are probably in the hall, waiting for us." He watched as Sean lead them into the next room, and noticed that everyone was in the midst of a conversation.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Jean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jean looked on as they entered the room. She looked ahead at the group and saw all of the students there. Standing at the apparent front was Emma, Richard and Yvette. She also saw off to the side, three people sitting down, two women and a man, and it was obvious to her that the two women appeared to be more than friends. She listened for a moment as she heard Rich say, "That's the basics. I can have things set up for all of you, but I need a definate answer by tomorrow. Any questions."

She started to wonder what was going on when she heard Angelo say, "Si, I got one. What kind of jobs are we talking about?" Now she was puzzled. What was Rich trying to set up?

She then saw Emma look over in her direction and then whisper something to Rich and Yvette. They both looked at her and smiled, as she saw Emma break away from the group and walk over to her. When Emma was close enough, she said, "I'm glad you all got here alright."

Jean then heard her husband ask, "Emma, what's going on over there?" It had been the same question on her mind.

She watched as Emma smiled and said, "Well, Rich is trying to allow the students to have jobs with his company. Very nice of him, especially since it would be one of his last official acts in his company."

She was puzzled by this and asked, "What do you mean, Emma?"

Emma motioned to the group sitting off to the side and said, "Tomorrow, Rich will be handing control of his company to Godiva, his cousin. Rich decided he can't handle all the things he needs to, so the company would go to her." Now she understood the one girl's presence, however the other one was still a concern, and she could now tell Emma had a concern about her as well.

She watched as Ororo looked over at the two and said, "Emma, something else is on your mind about those two." It was then Jean realized there was more to the two than met the eye.

She watched as Emma looked at the two then back at them and said, "Yes, however, I think Richard should talk to you about the problem." She then noticed that Rich and Yvette were done talking with the others, and the two were walking towards them.

Jean then heard Rich say, "It's good to see all of you again. Thank you all for coming. I know you just arrived, but I need to ask your assistance on something very important."

Jean looked at him and said, "Is it about your cousin's friend." She watched as he nodded and she then said, "Is there something wrong?"

She then head Yvette say, "It's Kyuukai's power. Lately, she's been losing control of it. We were wondering if you or Professer Xavier could help her control it better while she's here." Now she started to have an idea of the problem, and she could understand what they were asking.

Jean smiled when she heard Professer Xavier say, "We would be glad to help. Perhaps in the morning, I can form a link to help her control her ability until we leave. Right now, I think it would be best if we rest and handle it in the morning. I think everyone has had a long day."

She watched as Rich nodded, and then said, "True, however, we should tell Kyuukai and Godiva first." She watched as he turned and said, "Godiva, could you and Kyuukai come here for a moment. There is someone you need to meet." She watched as the two girls got up and headed over.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Kyuukai**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Kyuukai looked up when Rich called her and Godiva. She glanced over at the group Rich and Yvette were now with and was almost captivated by the three women standing over there. She then saw Godiva get up and say, "Come on, Kai. I think these are people we want to meet." She got up and followed Godiva, still a bit captivated by the woman with stripe in her hair.

When they finally got close enough, she heard Rich say, "Godiva, Kyuukai, I'd like to introduce you to some of the X-Men. I'd like to you meet Professor Charles Francis Xavier, Scott and Jean Grey Summers, Ororo Munroe, Bishop and..." She noticed Rich trailed off have the woman with the stripe in her hair stepped forward with her hand extended.

Kyuukai wondered why everyone was startled as she said, "They call me, Rogue. Ah'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Cale." She then noticed for the first time that her other hand had a glove in it, and was gloved as well.

She was startled when she saw Rogue being pushed back, apparently by nothing. However, she did see Jean's eyes glowing, and hear Professer Xavier say, "Rogue, why did you do that? You know what your power can do."

She then heard her say, "Ah'm sorry, Professor. Ah don't know what came over me."

Kyuukai felt her face go red as she looked down and said, "I'm sorry. That was my fault." She was so ashamed. She had let her mind wander and this was the result.

She heard Godiva say, "This is why we need your help, Professer Xavier. This happens whenever Kyuukai's mind wanders. Her power affects someone, even if she means it to or not."

She then saw Proffessor X steeple his hands and look as if he was in thought. Soon she heard him say, "Now I understand some of the concern. However, I still feel it would be best for us to help you in the morning."

Kyuukai nodded and said, "Thank you. I can't wait until tomorrow." Part of her wanted to run to the room that had been reserved for her and Godiva. However, she wasn't sure if Godiva was ready to go to bed.

She then heard Rich say, "Speaking about tomorrow, maybe some of us should head to bed early. I know Godiva and I have to leave early to get to the office building. I've set up for this meeting to take place in the Boston office, however it has to be bright and early."

She watched as Godiva nodded and said, "Right. I'll be ready." She watched as Godiva turned to her and said, "Let's get going, Kai. We both have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." As they walked out of the hall, she turned to see others leaving as well.

As they continued to where their room was, Kyuukai finally said "Do you think this will permanently control my powers?"

Godiva looked at her and said, "That I have no clue on, but it will control them here. Who knows, maybe he can teach you to control your power before we leave here. I sometimes think you use your power on me from time to time."

When they finally reached the room they were given, Kyuukai smiled and said, "I do, but that was only after we started going together." She saw Godiva turn around and look at her, almost in shock. Kyuukai then said, "Hey, you are the one with the fantasies, although you wouldn't act on them without my nudging." She saw Godiva blush and knew she was right about what she said.

She then saw a devilish smile cross Godiva's face as she said, "Well, Kai, let's see how you like being on the receiving end for once." Before she could move, Godiva's hair had snared both her arms and her legs. Soon, she couldn't move and she was honestly thrilled by it. As she struggled, she heard Godiva say, "Now, let's see if you enjoy it as much as I do." Kyuukai figured that it would be a long and tiring night. Before Godiva continued, she heard her say, "You know Kai, this will be the last fun we have until we get back to Easton, so you better enjoy it." Kyuukai smiled at that.

Kyuukai looked at Godiva for a moment and then said, "Hey Godiva, do you ever think we should get married?" She noticed a look cross Godiva's face, and felt the hair loosen it's grip. She saw a pained look cross Godiva's face and she said, "I'm sorry. I was just wondering. I mean, with all going about about Clarice's and Darrett's wedding, I sort of wondered."

She felt herself get lowered back to the floor as Godiva said, "Tell you what, Kai. If we ever go the branch of the company in Hawaii, we'll get married there" She felt Godiva bring her in close for a kiss. It was a nice thought, and it made her love Godiva even more.

--------------------------------


	98. Nighttime Talks About The Future

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

Nighttime Talks About The Future

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Grimore**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Grimore sat patiently in the apartment that was the home of his masters. He was aware of all the commotion that the move was causing. It meant a big change was on the way. He also knew more events were on the horizon. He listened as he heard the door open, and heard Rich say, "Sorry about the disarray here, Gabe, but we are going to be moving."

He heard Gabe say, "It's ok. Heck, part of my home is still like this." Grimore smiled, jumped off the bed and walked into the main room. As he entered, he hear Gabe say, "Hello Grimore, how are you fairing?"

Grimore looked at Gabe and said, "As well as can be expected." He knew that Gabe was one of the only other people who could understand him. He knew Rich and Yvette were still trying to come to terms with that.

He felt Yvette grab hold of him and carefully lift him up, as she said, "Are you ready for the move, Grimore?"

He was ready for the move, but he also knew it wasn't time yet. He looked at her and said, "I am ready for the move, but it's not time to move yet. Something has to happen." He saw a worried look cross her face, and he knew she didn't like the sound of that.

He then heard Rich say, "Grimore, what do you mean by that? What has to happen? I know by your tone that you aren't talking about the wedding."

Grimore leapt out Yvette's arms and jumped to the table. He looked straight at Rich and said, "Very simple. There is a very big event on the horizon, and it must happen before you move."

He watched as Rich stepped back. He could tell that Rich was stunned. Rich narrowed his eyes and looked at him. Grimore could tell Rich was not thrilled by this news. He watched as Rich said, "What big event? What is going to happen?"

Grimore could see Rich was upset, as well as the others, but he just said, "Not to worry, what will happen is that you will survive. I know that much, however I can't tell you much more."

He heard Gabe ask the question that must have been on Rich's mind. "Who can tell him?"

He looked at them all and said, "It's very simple who can tell him. Those who know what will happen. Like your uncle, Wolfgang." He saw Gabe gasp at that and step back.

He watched Yvette look at Gabe and say, "What's wrong? Why did you gasp like that?"

He then heard Rich say, "He's dead. We are going to have a visitation from the dead." He shook his head and Rich then said, "I'm going to have a visitation from the dead." He watched as Yvette held his shoulder, almost in fear.

Grimore nodded and said, "Indeed, but they will only confirm your survival. Richard, you must know that when the dead speak, you should listen; especially when they are family. They are there to help and warn." He then started for the bedroom. He looked back at them and said, "Remember, death is not the ending, but just a transition." He entered the room with that thought for them. He hoped for two things. The first was that when Rich found out about what would happned, he would worry less about what would happen, and the second was that it would give Rich some peace of mind about what comes after.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Mondo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mondo sat with Daria in her bedroom. He could tell she had been deep in thought since the talk in the hall. Rich was trying to give them all jobs before the school closed. It was a nice offer, but he didn't feel he would work well in a big company. He liked people, and he cared about people. He was actually considering asking Godiva if he could help at her museum, even though some of the things were very weird. He looked back at Daria and said, "You know, Daria, I've been thinking."

He watched as she looked at him and said, "So have I. What were you thinking about?" He knew she was interested in what he was thinking. He also hoped she was thinking along the same lines. He loved her, and he wanted to stay with her, even after the school closed.

He looked at her for a moment and said, "I'm thinking of refusing Rich's job offer. I was thinking about asking Godiva if I could work in her museum. It's a good job for me. I'm more of a people person, and I wouldn't fit into the company." He then saw a smile cross her face. He looked at her and said, "I guess we are thinking the same."

He watched as she nodded vigorously and said, "Yep. Besides, I got good news today. Darrett told Everett and I that in his timeline, Ev and I were his parents. That means I can be a mother. I was so worried about that." He wasn't too sure how to take the news. Although it was good news, it sounded bad in a way. He decided he could look past the bad part, because the good part looked better for their future.

Mondo looked at her and said, "Was that all you were thinking about, or is there more?" He could tell there was more on her mind, but he didn't want to force it out of her.

He was almost startled when she said, "Darrett was sitting on that secret for so long before he told us. I want to tell Godiva how I joined Generation X. I want to tell her about her father. She needs to know how he helped me. She needs to know that he was alive."

Mondo looked at her and said, "Are you sure you want to do that? Godiva probably still thinks her father had commited suicide when she was young." He then thought about what had happened when Rich had found out. He looked at her and said, "Rich didn't take the news well, when he found out. How would you explain it?"

He saw a troubled look cross her face as she said, "I guess I didn't think about this too well. I do want to tell her. I just wish I knew the right way."

Mondo walked over and sat down next to her. He took her hand and said, "Maybe we will think of a way. Two minds are always better than one." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips to make her feel better. With that done, they began to brainstorm.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Angelo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Angelo was a bit worried about Monet. He had to admit he felt a closeness to her, however now it was more due to tragic reasons. Both didn't really have a home to go to. He had decided to stop in and talk with Monet that night. When he got to her room, he noticed her door was open. He knocked lightly, only to hear her say, "Come in, Angelo. I knew it was you."

Angleo looked over at Monet, but decided not to ask how she knew. He looked at her, still somewhat stunned by her. He still couldn't believe that she appeard to be a teenager, yet she was only a child. He just looked at her and said, "Can't believe it's almost over."

He heard Monet sigh as she said, "I know, and because of my sister, I missed so much." He watched as she turned to face him and said, "When did Blink return?"

He knew she was surprised at that, and he just said, "She returned when Claudette made her first attempt. I think she stayed in the shadows until she rescued Rich. After that, she was brought into the school."

He saw Monet nod and then say, "That explains why the first time I saw her was just a month ago. I only saw what Claudette did. Angelo, let me tell you this. Claudette is not in her right mind at all. I just hope that living with Gabe is easier than what I've experienced so far."

Angelo knew that was top on his mind. He looked over at Monet and said, "Hey Monet, do you know what Gabe does for a living?" He watched as she held up a book. He glanced real quick at it and said, "You mean he's a writer?"

He watched as she nodded and said, "Yes, but all his info comes from real life experiences. He does the same thing Rich's father did." He watched as she sighed and said, "I just hope I can handle helping him. He said he might need my help in the research department."

Angelo looked at her and could see a happy look on her face. He just said, "You are looking forward to it. Why?"

He saw Monet look at him and say, "For the past coulple of months, I have been able to do nothing to stop my sister's evil. Now I can make amends for it. I need this. I need to do something good."

He now understood part of what Monet was doing. He saw she was trying to make amends for what her sister did. He started to even wonder if Monet was more mature than most adults. He looked at her and said, "Monet, all the time that I've know you, you've done stuff to show you are good. The whole incidents with Claudette weren't your fault. She had trapped you. We were trying to figure out a way to save you." He saw tears welling up in her eyes, and he did the only thing he could think of to do. He grabbed her and hugged her. He just quietly said, "I'm sorry for bringing up those painful memories. I didn't mean to make you cry."

As he held her, he heard her softly say, "Can you stay a bit longer, just to talk?" He nodded. Maybe it would be best if they just talked, especially if it calmed her down.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Ororo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Ororo Munroe sat in the room she was assigned to with Rogue, Paige, and Jonothan. When they had all left the hall, she had wanted to talk with Jonothan and Paige about the new change in their lives. She had heard that Jonothan had been put in charge of a mission not too long ago. She wondered how the Generation X kids had handled the threat of Apocalypse. She looked over at the two and said, "So, who was in charge during the mission you had a month ago?"

She watched as Jono nodded and said, _"I was in charge. We were trying to figure out the best way to attack after he had Skitz and Penance abducted. At first, we were figuring on only Apocalypse, but the discovery of Claudette being involved complicated things."_

Ororo nodded and said, "From past experience, anything involving Apocalypse is rarely simple. Most times, it is more complicated that it appears." She thought back on some of her encounters with Apocalypse's plans. In almost every case, Apocalypse had some trick up his sleeve, and more often than not, something had happened that he had no control over. She looked over at Jono and Paige and said, "What did happen to change things?"

She watch as Paige said, "Soundwave, who was under his control, changed sides." This surprised her somewhat. Paige then said, "But I think that was also because they found out Yvette was pregnant. That tossed a big monkey wrench into Apocalypse's plans."

Ororo looked at them and said, "That would explain some things. Sometimes, when Apocolypse is involved, there are wild cards. I hope you had modified your plans to adjust for them." Ororo then looked over at Rogue and said, "And speaking of wild cards, what got into you back in the hall. You have no idea what you could have done to Richard. Why did you extend your hand ungloved?"

She watched as Rogue blushed and said, "Ah don't know what came over me. All of a sudden, I felt the urge to just shake hands ungloved. I didn't think of what would happen."

She then heard Paige said, "Kyuukai had been focused on her. Kyuukai's power is basically to strip away anyone's inhibitions. It happened to me once." Now Ororo had a better understanding of the request made. A power like that could be dangerous. Some people inhibit themselves from acting. Even her own power would be dangerous if she acted uninhibited.

She then saw that Rogue had stopped blushing and asked, "If yah don't mind me asking, how did Rich help Yvette in the first place? All I ever hear about him and Yvette was that he helped her with her power."

Ororo started to wonder if Rogue had another reason for coming. She could only imagine what the prospect of knowing one's real self would be like. She looked over as Jonothan said, _"To keep it simple. Rich used his powers to mimic her powers, and in the process, opened up a psi-link between the two of them. Rich made a connection to her that none of us could ever hope to make."_ Ororo now had a good idea what Rogue's real reason for coming to the school was. She wanted the opportunity to find out who she really was, and Ororo wasn't sure if it was something she should stop.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Elane**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Elane sat in the room as the last few stragglers arrived to the meeting. Emplate had just gotten done spying on his sister again, and she saw a scene which had made her giggle. Although she could not see Angelo, she could hear him and Monet. The team must have been becoming unstable, especially with the break up of the team on the way. Now was the time to strike. She looked up as Emplate finally said, "Listen up all of you. The time to strike is coming up very soon. As we all know, Generation X is going to be splitting up. It's obvious that they are hoping for quiet days until the end, but I don't intend to let that happen."

Elane saw D.O.A. look at Emplate and say, "Sir, do you anticipate any difficulties?" It was obvious to her that D.O.A. didn't think the plan would be that simple.

She watched as Emplate said, "From what I have gathered, a wedding ceremony will be happening. On the guest list is some of the X-Men, as well as Godiva and Kyuukai. However, our whole plan works on capturing Kyuukai."

She heard Freeze Frame say, "Why this Kyuukai person? Why not someone else?"

She looked over at Freeze Frame and said, "Kyuukai has a very powerful ability. She can remove ones inhibitions. If we capture her, and use her abilities on the people there...."

She saw Emplate nod in agreement as he said, "Exactly. Kyuukai's power will make the team use most of their efforts to subdue those affected. It will drain those who don't subdue the others. They will be too weak to fight back."

Elane saw the others smile in delight. She knew what the success would mean. The man she loved would finally succeed at his goal, and also lead into more wins. She thought of the legacy she would be a part of. It would be the beginning of world control. She then saw D.O.A. stand and say, "Sir, that is a brilliant plan. I must ask one thing. What do you plan to do about Skitz and Penance? Also, what about your sister?"

She watched as Emplate stood and said, "I will kill my sister, and ask for Skitz and Penance. They will feed us for a long time to come, especailly after I force them to watch the death of all their teammates. As for now, you are all dismissed. I suggest you all get ready for the battle and feast to come." She watched as all the others got up to leave the room. As they left, she felt Emplate touch her shoulder and whisper into her ear, "I suggest you check on Marcus. While they are my followers, I don't want them hurting my son."

She nodded and said, "I understand. I know Freeze Frame won't try anything, however I am concerned about the others. I will watch him tonight. I shall see you later, my love." She saw him smile and she then left the room. She wanted to be right next to Marcus' little crib, and tell her little child about all the things he would have to look forward to.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Britney**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Britney looked at the door to the room she was in. It was the only way out. She knew it was unlocked, and she knew she could open it. She would have loved to get up and out of the den of evil she was in, but she couldn't. Emplate had tricked her, manipulated her, and then somehow entranced her body to Freeze Frame. When Emplate had done that, she had been truely afraid. She knew in time, Freeze Frame would do unspeakable things to her. There was one thing that did bother her. He looked familiar to her. She didn't know why, but he did seem familiar. She was almost lost on that thought when the door openned and she saw Freeze Frame enter. She watched as he closed the door and said, "Hello, Britney. I hope you are well. Besides, I allow you to speak your mind for now."

She was surprised he would allow that. She looked at him for a moment and said, "Why have you done this to me?" She thought about all the things he had done, and decided now she had to know.

She watched as he said, "Because you needed to be brought down a notch. Ever since I first saw you, you were stuck up. If you forgot, I did go to school in Easton. Remember French class." Then she remembered. He was in her class, and she always picked on him. He then said, "When I heard you were involved, I told Emplate I wanted you, but not for why you think."

She looked at him in shock and said, "What do you mean by that? You didn't want to get back at me?"

She watched as he turned and said, "I didn't want any of them to hurt you. To be honest, I always had feelings for you. I was just too afraid to mention it. You deserve to suffer for you meanness, but not to die." She then understood why he didn't do some of the things she feared.

Britney looked at him and said, "You mean that you never took advantage of me because you love me." When he nodded, she wanted to laugh, but then realized he was also saving her life. She then said, "Is there any way I can get some more freedom around here?"

She watched as he sat next to her and said, "If you can accept my love, and agree to help with the plan, I'll see what I can do." She nodded. If he was doing this out of love, it was more romantic than anything any guy had ever done for her. She would help. She would willing help him, and as she heard the plan, she smiled. This would be fun, especially for the perfect couple she had met all that time ago.


	99. Discovery In The Wee Hours

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

Discovery In The Wee Hours

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Xavier**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Professor Xavier awoke to the oddest sensation. Something was happening on the Astral Plane. He wasn't sure what it was, but whatever it was, it was trying to hide itself. He had been on this plane many times, and learned when something was trying to hide itself. Sometimes, that meant something big was going to happen. He immediately went to the plane and looked into the occurance. Immediately, he saw a huge dome in the distance. That had to be the center of what was happening. He was going to find out what the source of this was. As he floated near the dome, he heard muffled talking. He was about to touch it when he felt something around his waist whip him away from the dome. As he spun, he heard a voice say, "I'm sorry, sir, but this is not for you to attend."

When he stopped spinning, Xavier found himself facing a very odd individual. While he looked like a human being, his hands almost looked like paws. Then he noticed the face. It was almost entirely feline. Then he noticed the tail. Something was apparently familiar about the figure, but he wasn't sure what it was. He looked at the figure and said, "I take it you are guardian of this?" As he motioned to the dome, he saw the figure look at it and then back at him.

He watched as the figure studied him and said, "It is for the Paladin. It is concerning his future. It is not about your future, and I'm not sure if your future is part of what he is dealing with."

When he heard those words, he started to piece some of the things together. He looked at the figure again and noticed he did see something about the figure before. He had seen something like that before, very briefly. He also remember that there was a cat on the school grounds. He then said, "I take it this is about Richard Cale. Am I right, Grimore?"

He saw a startled look cross the figure's face. He had figured out who was before him. He watched as an upset look then crossed the face as it said, "This conversation is over." Before he knew it, a psy-wave shock the whole Astral Plane. When he opened his eyes, Charles Xavier was in his bedroom.

He shook his head for a moment before he got up. That had to be the most unusual experience he had on the Astral Plane. However, he had decided a few things. The first was something big was going to happen, and somehow Richard Cale was going to be at the center. The second thing was that Rich's cat, Grimore, was more than he seemed. He needed some questions answered, and only two people could answer those, Richard and Yvette Cale. He also knew those questions had to wait. He had a very important task ahead of him, and he knew he needed help. He formed another psyonic link and said, _"Emma, Jean, I'm going to need your help with Kyuukai. If you two are not awake, I suggest you wake up and meet me."_ With that, he got up and began to prepare.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rich opened up his eyes to a strange sight. He was in bed, alone, and the room was not the room he fell asleep in. It was odd, and spooky. He wanted to panic, but he also knew part of what was coming. He started to look around, and soon he saw the spirits of the dead. He was almost speechless as he saw all those who had gathered. He looked in awe, especially when the first spirit spoke and said, "Hello, son. It's been a long time."

Rich looked at the figure and almost broke into tears. He choked up and meekly said, "Father?"

He watched the figure nod and say, "Yes, son, it's me. Your mother is here too. As is your grandparents." Rich then saw his grandparents standing right behind his father, but there were two other people he didn't totally recognize.

He then heard his grandfather say, "Grandson, there is something important coming on the horizon. I know you are going to return to England with your wife, but this happens before then."

Rich looked at the spirits and said, "You mean something big is going to happen before Yvette and I leave?" He had a feeling he knew what it had to deal with. He didn't want to say what he thought.

He was almost surprised when he heard a familiar voice say, "Yes, it does involve Marius. He is going to make his move very soon. Don't worry, because I know you will survive this. Marius is not about to kill you."

Rich looked at the source of the voice, knowing it was Cartier St. Croix. He tried to hold back the tears as he said, "I know he won't kill me, Cartier. He wants to capture me. He wants to capture Yvette as well. I can't let that happen, not when she's going to be a mother."

He then heard a new voice say, "We know you will protect her." He turned to face a couple who looked at him. He tried to place them, but they continued to say, "We know that whatever happens, you will protect our daughter." Rich then knew who he was facing, Yvette's parents.

Before he could say something, another voice said, "However, there are three foreseeable outcomes. One, you will destroy Marius. The second is that you will send Marius away for a long time. The last is that he will capture you." He turned to face the voice to face an elderly gentleman. The man then said, "Don't be afraid to ask my nephew for help." He realized that the man before him was Gabe's uncle.

Rich was about to respond to what the spirit said when his mother's spirit said, "Richard, you know you don't have much time. You have some important business to attend to today."

Rich then remembered. He brought his hand quickly to his head and said, "I almost forgot about the company." When he removed his hand, he saw he was sitting up in bed, with Yvette sound asleep next to him. He kissed her gently and said, "I'll see you this afternoon." He got up and quickly got dressed in a business suit, and headed out to leave. As he neared the door, he felt something weird. His power was kicking in. He was getting someone else's ability. There was something weird about it, and he needed to find out who was the source. He looked straight at the door and opened it. When he saw who was there, it answered the question about the source. He was looking at the X-Men named Rogue.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Rogue**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rogue looked at Rich in total surprise. She wasn't expecting him to open the door, however he was the one she wanted to see. She looked at him and, "Ah'm sorry if I'm intruding, but Ah wanted to ask you something."

She watched as Rich looked at her and said, "Well, alright, but I have to get Godiva so we can leave for the company. Can we talk and walk at the same time?" She nodded and immediatly they were heading away from the apartment. Before she could say anything, he said, "First of all, how did you know where the apartment was?"

Rogue was a bit taken back by his question, especially by the tone. She looked at him and said, "I had asked Jean and Scott before we came here. You don't have to act so defensively about it."

She watched as he just looked at her and said, "Excuse my tone, but we've had people break into the apartment." Then she understood his response. As they walked, she heard him say, "Was there a specific reason you wanted to chat, or are you hoping to learn more about yourself through me?"

Rogue was surprised. She was about to ask how he knew when it dawned on her. "Let me guess. You were able to tell that with your power." When he nodded she then said, "Ok, can you tell me about who Ah really am? With all these memories and such in me, I'm not even sure anymore."

She watched as Rich looked at her, and said, "I don't know what all I can tell you, but I can tell you two things. First, I can tell you that your first name is Marie. That's all I can tell you for sure about yourself."

She was happy to know that much. She looked at Rich and said, "What's the other thing you could tell me? You said there were two."

Rogue watched as Rich looked straight ahead as they walked, and said, "You have the ability to control your power with thought. You can turn it on and off at your own wish. My only suggestion is you try this under supervision."

Rogue stood still as Rich entered the main hall. She saw that Godiva was standing near the door. She figured that the two were about to leave. She then remembered what she wanted to do before. She wanted to find out if he had her power, if she could safely shake his hand. She started to walk to him and said, "Rich, Ah want to thank you for at least tell me what you could."

She watched as Rich held his hand up and said, "Rogue. I have your power, and I don't want to risk using it. No offense, but I'm not going to shake your hand." She watch as he turned to Godiva, placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Ready to go, Godiva."

She heard Godiva say, "As ready as I'll ever be. I own a museum, so I hope being in charge of your company will be like that. Besides, do you think I dressed right?" It was then Rogue noticed what Godiva was wearing. She was wearing a dress that had bare shoulders. She was about to say something when Godiva looked at her and said, "I'm his cousin. Blood relatives. Our powers don't affect each other." Rogue then watched as they headed out the door. She started to wonder now about her own ability. With the news, she had to wonder if Professor Xavier could help her with that fact about her power.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Emma**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emma walked into the main hall just as Rich and Godiva left. She knew what she was witnessing. She was witnessing a company changing hands. However, she was wondering why Rogue was there. That was a mystery that was most likely easily solved. She walked over to Rogue and said, "Morning Rogue. Is there a reason you are here?"

Rogue turned to look at her and said, "Ah was just asking Rich about my power." Emma thought there was more to it than that, and she didn't want to pry. That was the old Emma. She figured she would let Rogue answer fully in her own time. She was almost surprised when Rogue said, "Why were you waiting here?"

Emma smiled and said, "I'm waiting for Charles and Jean. We all will be helping Kyuukai with her power." She then sighed and said, "I think Charles wanted help on this because of Kyuukai's power. It's so uncontrolable, like yours."

She was almost surprised when Rogue said, "That may not be the case anymore." She now knew that maybe in that brief meeting, Rich had told her something about her power. That worried Emma a bit.

Emma looked at Rogue and said, "You aren't going to be testing this new fact here, are you?" Emma could hear the sterness in her voice. She was worried that if Rogue attempted this new aspect of her power, she would hurt one of her students.

She watch as Rogue shook her head and said, "No. Rich told me I should wait. Maybe I could ask Professor Xavier to help me with this. Maybe when we see how well he helps Kyuukai out, he can later do the same with me."

Emma was almost startled when she heard Professor Xavier say, "Well, if this does work well, we may try that Rogue. I trust you found out something after meeting with Rich." She was surprised by this as well, until he looked at her and said, "That was the reason Rogue had come along. She wanted to see if Rich could tell her things that we could never get to. I suggested she talk with Rich." Now it all made sense. She was then alarmed when Charles said, "By the way, Emma, I need to ask you about something. I had a very strange encounter on the Astral Plane, apparently with Rich's cat."

Emma started to realize what Charles was hinting at. Emma sighed and said, "Grimore is a very strange cat. I know Hank once said the cat was a familiar, but there is something odd about him. I never said anything, but the cat does have a very strong presence, one I feel psionically. However, if the cat does communicate, only two people can answer that."

She watched as Charles nodded and said, "Then we may have to talk to one of them later. Right now, we need to prepare to help Kyuukai. Something tells me this may take three minds to contain." She nodded in agreement. She didn't need anyone running wild, and part of her was concerned that Kyuukai might cause a reawakening of Onslaught.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Gabe**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Gabe awoke when he heard a voice scream out loud, "You did WHAT?" He sat straight up and looked in the direction of the room that was Rich and Yvette's bedroom. He was sure Rich had left, but something had made Yvette upset. He got up and ran for the door. As he started to open the door, he felt it slam shut, and Yvette yelled, "Do you mind?"

He stood there for a second before he responded, "I heard you shout. What happened in there? Are you alright?"

He was shocked when the door flew open and he saw Grimore perched on the bed. He entered the room, and saw Yvette point straight at Grimore and said "He acted out of line. He did something he shouldn't have done."

He then heard Grimore say, "I did nothing of the sort. All I did was keep an interloper from invading on something that was meant only for Richard."

After hearing that, Gabe didn't understand why Yvette was so upset. He looked at her, and noticed that she was hastily dressed. Now he understood why she slammed the door shut. He returned to his first line of thought and said, "I don't see the problem. He stopped someone from invading Rich's meeting. How can that be bad?"

He watched as Yvette shook her head and said, "You don't know who he met. He chased away Charles Xavier. The most powerful psychic on the planet, who is also here, remember."

Then he remembered seeing the man. He realized what this would mean. He looked at Grimore and said to Yvette. "You mean he just revealed himself to one of the most powerful people here." He shook his head and then faced Grimore. "You revealed yourself to someone other than the Cale's or myself. Do you know what you mght have set in motion?"

He watched as Grimore responded by saying, "He has no clue of what I really am. Remember, if I talk to either one of you, it's only meows that everyone else hears. The only way anyone else will understand what I say is if someone who can understand me tells me to let everyone hear me. Honestly, I don't think anyone is going to do that."

Gabe knew what Grimore was saying. He nodded and said, "Well, I'm not going to do that, and I don't think Rich and Yvette will do that." He watched as Yvette nodded, but still appeared to be worried. He turned to her and said, "What's the worry, now?"

He watched as she sighed and said, "Well, if my guess is right, Professor Xavier is going to wonder about Grimore. I might have to avoid him. I know he can't scan my mind, but he might approach me about it. He's not likely to forget it." He saw her sigh again as she said, "This is going to be a long day."

Gabe looked at her for a second, puzzled about what she said. He just looked at her and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

She glanced at him, and he could tell that he has asked the wrong question. He watched as she said, "Professor Xavier is the worlds most powerful psychic. However, he cannot get into Rich's and my head. Our psychic abilities are on a different wave. Only if in extreme panic, or if we allow them to, can he enter our minds. Since he can't do that, he's going to ask either me, or Rich about Grimore. So for most of today, I'm not giving him that chance." Now he knew what she meant. She was going to stay out of sight. She then looked at him and said, "Now, Gabe, I have a favor to ask you."

He looked at her for a second and said, "What's that?" He wasn't sure what she was going to ask, but he had and idea what it might be about.

He felt her push him out of the room as she said, "Next time, never try to open the door when I'm not proper. Only one man gets to see me like that, and that is my husband." When he was out of the bedroom, he heard the door slam, and he looked down to see Grimore there as well.

Gabe looked at the cat, who just said, "She is right. You should never barge into a ladies room. Besides, surprise her wrong, and you'll have a very nasty cut." He nodded. Next time, he was going to be more careful.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Monet**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Monet awoke from her slumber to a sight that shocked her. She was laying in bed with Angelo's arm around her. She almost let her panic get the best of her when she realized they were both still dressed. Most of the panic subsided, but there was still the image. It might look like the two of them did more than sleep. She nudged Angelo and said, "Angelo, we need to get up. You need to leave before someone knows you are here."

She heard him groan a bit before, "What do you mean? It's not like it is morning." She then saw his eyes shoot open as he said, "It is morning. Oh man, we are going to be in trouble." She knew what he meant. Ever since Clarice's and Darrett's incident in Japan, enforcement of the rules had stepped up. Although she wasn't there when it happened, she had heard about it from everyone.

She looked at Angelo and said, "I heard about what had happened, and the steps they were considering for punishment in case of another incident. I can't believe they would suggest using psi powers to keep the offenders in check."

Monet was surprised when Angelo nodded and said, "Si, but when I heard from Everett what Clarice and Darrett had done, I can somewhat understand. From what I have been told, they were doing more than kissing when they were found."

Monet started to panic. After months of being a prisoner in her own mind, she didn't want to repeat another time where she could not control what her body did. She shivered at the thought and said, "I don't want that to happen again. I don't want to be a prisoner in my own body again. That was a nightmare. You don't want to know what I saw Claudette do."

She was sobbing with that last statement. Soon, she felt Angelo's arms around her as he said, "I'm sure that Sean wouldn't allow that. Besides, you also know Rich wouldn't even do that, especially to you. We all know what you've been through. Last thing they would do to you is something like that. Plus, if we explain about these headaches, it may help."

She had to agree with that. She had been having alot of headaches lately. Ever since she had been seperated from her sister, she had been having headaches, sometimes as much as five times a day. She also knew the headaches lasted different times. Sometimes a few minutes, and other times, it lasted a few hours. She was thankful that Angelo had stayed with her when the last one hit. She then looked at Angelo and said, "Maybe I should tell Emma today. Gabe as well, since he will be taking me in."

Angelo nodded and said, "True. However, the first thing we should do is get out of here, and fast."

She nodded and said, "You're right. I'll check to see if the coast is clear." She ran to the door and took a quick look out. She didn't hear any movement, and she didn't see anyone outside the door. It looked clear. She motioned him forward and said, "It's clear. You should leave before anyone sees you."

She openned the door, and they both stepped out. She was sure they were safe, until a voice behind them said, "Is there are reason for this?" She almost froze but forced herself to turn around. She ended up face to face with Scott and Jean. She then knew that the two of them were caught.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Scott**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Scott looked at the two students in front of him. He was not too pleased with what he saw. Apparently Monet and Angelo had spent the night together. He could see the shock and surprise in their eyes. He looked at the two and said, "You still haven't answered the question." Jean had stopped them just before they passed the door, and now he knew why. She had picked up that the two were together in the room, and apparently overnight.

He was startled when Monet said, "Please, it's not what you think. We didn't do anything inappropriate. I had a massive headache last night, and I asked Angelo to stay. I've been having very bad headaches the past month."

At first, Scott wasn't sure if he believed her or not. He was about to respond when Jean said, "Monet, how severe are these headaches?" He wondered if Jean believe the tale she told. He honestly thought it was very suspicious.

He was almost startled when Angelo said, "I think they are very severe. Last night, she had a severe one hit. That's why I ended up spending the night." It was then he noticed that they were indeed wearing the same clothes they had been wearing the previous day. Maybe they were telling the truth. He had jumped to the wrong conclusion, but there was a reason for their fear.

He looked at both of them and said, "Well, I think you are telling the truth, but why were you so afraid?" He had to admit, he was curious about the fear.

He felt Jean tug on his arm as she said, "I don't think they have anything to be afraid about, and it should remain that way. Monet, you go back to your room and get into different clothes. Angelo, you go back to your room and do the same. Scott and I must get to the Professor. Don't worry, we won't say a word about this." He watched as the two left and then she said, "We might want to talk about this real quick with Emma."

He looked at her and said, "I thought you said we wouldn't say a word."

He then understood when she said, "Apparently two months back, Darrett and Clarice attempted a little rendevous. Since then, any student caught doing that would be punished, but the students were never told what the punishment would be, just what it might be. I noticed that there was a fear it would be mental control."

Scott realized what his wife was saying and said, "You mean Emma was going to mentally control them if they got out of line. I thought she had moved past that." The thought was totally disturbing to him. He started to move faster to their destination as he said, "Of all the things to do, I should give her a piece of my mind."

His wife grabbed his arm and said, "I said they thought that might be a response. However, I did not say it was. Besides, what if this was not Emma's idea. It wasn't Emma who caught the two. It was Richard, and he does not strike me as the one to do such a thing. He probably wanted to install fear into them so no one else would try the same stunt Darrett and Clarice did."

Now it started to make some sense. The thought that the punishment might be severe meant that no one might risk to find out. He also remembered the school was going to close. He looked at Jean and said, "And what is to stop them now?"

He watched as she smiled at him and said, "Scott, there are many psychics here. How do you think they plan to hide it?" He knew she was right. It was very difficult to hide it from a psychic. He knew that sometimes Jean could detect when someone was up to something at the mansion.

He smiled and said, "Well, we should still ask Emma about this. I'm sure that you are right about this not being Emma's choice, but I still want to be sure." He watched as she nodded and they the headed to where they were meeting the others.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Paige**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Paige was just leaving her room when she heard a conversation downstairs. She didn't know who was talking, but she wanted to find out. She decided it may be best to be quiet as she headed down. By the time she got down the stairs, all she saw was Jean and Scott leaving. Whomever they were talking with had left. She had heard them leave their room, mainly because they were in what used to be Rich's apartment. She then double checked her watch and noticed the time. She almost yelped as she said, "Man, Ah'm gonna be late." She ran out the door and headed straight for the boy's dorm, to meet Jono.

The previous night, they had agreed that they should talk with Bishop. Jono had said he wanted to ask Bishop some questions about the X-Men, and Paige agreed that they needed to learn about their new teammates. They had agreed that Bishop might be a good person to ask questions of, especially since he was from the future. She wondered what Bishop could tell them about their part on the team. Now, as she neared the door, she saw Jono looking at her as he said, _"Paige, where have you been, gel?"_

Paige ran right up to Jono and hugged him, responding, "Sorry I'm late. There was a commotion happening in the dorm. I don't know what had happened. By the time I could see anything, it was over." She did wonder what had happened. Part of her wondered if there had been another incident like what had happened in Japan. She didn't think it was Clarice and Darrett, but she wasn't entirely sure.

She watched as Jono shook his head and said, _"I don't think it is anything like that. Remember what Rich had said a month ago. If anyone would be caught doing anything like those two did, they would be subject to a strict punishment."_

Paige shuddered when she remembered that part. She looked at Jono and said, "Ah remember that. We are still trying to figure out what the punishment will be. Some people even thing it will be psychic." She knew that when that rumor started, Monet seemed to be most terrified. Paige could understand why on that one.

She then said Jono motion to the door and say, _"Let's just forget about that for now. Right now, I think we should get in and speak with Bishop. There have been some things I have been wondering about for a while now."_ She nodded and agreed with that. Maybe they could get off the topic they were currently on when they met Bishop.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IX. Jono**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jono opened the door for Paige as they stepped inside. He had told her how important it was that they speak with Bishop. As they headed in, Paige said to him, "Ah know you wanted to talk with Bishop about things, but what sort of things did you want to ask about?"

He looked over at her and said, _"Well, I was wondering how we turned out in his timeline. If we had a long life, or short life? I was just wondering if he could give us a clue to what the future had in store for us. I was just curious."_

He noticed Paige was looking at him in a puzzled way as she said, "But yuh do know that his timeline no longer exists. If we even knew when it originally took off from our timeline, which I don't think even Bishop knows for certain." He watched as she looked down the hall and said, "However we don't have long to wait. Look."

He gazed where she pointed to see Bishop heading out of a room. That had to be the room that Sean had given him. He looked at Paige and said, _"Looks like we got here just in time."_ He then turned toward Bishop and said, _"Morning Bishop."_

He watched as Bishop gazed at him for a moment before saying, "Morning Jonothan. Morning Paige." Jono noticed that something seemed wrong with Bishop. He didn't want to point it out right away, but he hoped that Bishop would mention it.

He watched as Paige almost hesitated in her question. "Bishop, we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions, if you have the time?" He then heard Paige softly say to him, "Jono, I think he's thinking about something. He seems a bit distant."

He was almost surprised when he heard Bishop say, "Sorry if I'm a bit out of it. I am concerned about a few things."

Jono could tell, even on a psychic level, that a lot was on Bishop's mind. Now, Jono thought was the time to ask. He looked over at Bishop and said, _"Do you want to talk about it with your future teammates?"_ He saw a smile cross Bishop's face and realized that he asked the question at the right time.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
X. Bishop**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Bishop looked at the two new members of the X-Men, and smiled. He knew that they were concerned about him. It still bothered him that Emplate was still loose. He looked at Jono and Paige and said, "Well, I am concerned with a few things. Top of the list is that Emplate is still out there. All my history tells of how the Emplate War really started, and I can't help but think that I haven't stopped it."

He saw Paige gaze as him and say, "How exactly did it start?" He was glad that they wanted to know. Maybe if they knew how it started, they could help stop it.

He looked up for a moment and said, "From what the history said, it began when two Emplates appeared through a portal. It was created by a slave, and from there, the terror began. I just know that Emplate is the cause. If he is destroyed, then the rise of the Emplates won't happen."

He then heard Jono say, _"Do you remember when, and where, it happened?"_

Bishop thought back for a moment. He had heard so many versions of the story. He always remembered two Emplates and a slave. He thought about it more and remembered something. He looked at them and said, "I remember that they said the two Emplates were a man and a woman, and they arrived in disguise."

He saw a puzzled look cross Paige's face as she said, "But I don't think Emplate has entralled Elane. She's helping him willingly." That bothered him. It didn't fit with the stories. In fact, it started to worry him more.

He needed to push out the dread it was causing. He closed his eyes and thought about another topic. He looked at the two and said, "I'm also thinking about Clarice and Darrett. They are from two entirely different timelines, and here they are, getting married. It just doesn't seem right."

He then heard Paige say, "That is exactly what makes it right. The two are from different timelines, and they deserve someone who understands that." Then he realized what she meant. She was right, and he decided he needed to give them some support.

Bishop looked at Paige and Jono and said, "You are right. I'm going to speak with the two of them later. I'll give them a little confidence chat. I just hope all is well elsewhere." He then lead the out of the building. As they left, he hoped all was well elsewhere.


	100. Evil Truths Revealed

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

Evil Truths Revealed

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. James**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

James walked down the halls of the Boston office of Paladin Technologies. For all his time at the company, he had hidden his background with ease. No one, not even the mutants at his branch, suspected that he was from Genosha, and that he was behind the latest secret project there. Paladin Techonologies was the only company where he could get some of the technology they needed. Now all he had to do was find one mutant. He had made a deal with the ninja group, 'The Hand', to capture the mutant he wanted. He was surprised when they had called him saying they had done so. When he arrived to pick the girl up, the place was in disarray, and she was gone. He was mad. Now he had to find the girl again. He was so lost in thought, he walked into someone and dropped all his papers. Soon a voice said, "I'm sorry, we'll help you pick up your papers."

He got down to help the two who were there. The woman was a young brunette with long hair. The guy had brown hair and glasses. They must have been from two of the other branches. As they started picking up papers, he said, "Thank you very much. Just some of the items I'm working on. Trying to get some new employees." It was a lie, but these two wouldn't know.

He noticed the girl was holding a photo of the mutant he planned to have for the Sentinel. He saw her look at it and say, "Who is this person?"

James looked at her and said, "She's a robotic genius. I saw her picture online and decided to find her and hire her. My branch is looking into making helper robots, for handicapped people." He noticed the man was smiling. Maybe that lie had been convincing, since the company was into helping people.

The man handed over the rest of the papers and said, "Sounds reasonable. All the branches have different projects in the works. I wonder what the head of the company would say."

James smiled and said, "He'd probably want to be there when the first robot is finished. We know the robots will be very helpful to people and mutants alike." He knew the help would be eliminating mutants, but he wasn't going to say that yet. Besides, if the head of the company caught word of the illegal project, he might shut it down. He made sure all his stuff was together and then said, "Well, I must be off to the big meeting. I'll see you there."

He turned and headed into the meeting room. His cover hadn't been blown, but it came very close. He almost jumped when he heard a voice say, "Mr. Johnson. How are you?"

He faced the man calling him and saw Mr. Otonashi, the head of the branch in Japan. He smiled and said, "Good day, Mr. Otonashi. How has the two months been?" He wasn't concerned but he knew that Mr. Otonashi had known he went to Japan, but he never told him why he came there. "Any clue on the big reason for the meeting?":

He was surprised when Mr. Otonashi said, "Indeed. Mr. Cale is planning to hand the company over to his cousin. I'm one of the few people who know. This meeting is to tie up some loose ends." James started to worry again. He wondered if his plan was going to be undone.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Godiva**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Godiva watched the man enter the meeting room. She waited until he was in there and turned to Rich. "Rich, he had a picture of Jubilee. You know she's not a robotics expert. What was that man going on about?"

Rich turned to face her and said, "Godiva, there has been some strange stuff happening at one of the branches, and something that happened two months ago is linked to it. Two months ago, Jubilee was kidnapped while we were in Japan. Over the past two months, I was searching into things, with the help of a friend I made in Japan. I've been keeping in touch with him. It took time, but we figured it out."

Godiva was stunned at this, but nodded. "What's been going on?"

Rich had a grim look on his face as he said, "Apparently, that man is actually from Genosha, and is working on creating a new type of Sentinel. He plans to use Jubilee as the power source. I have odd things in the report about his branch. I needed to find out if I'm right, and it looks more like I am."

Godiva took it all in, but was shocked. She knew how dangerous Sentinels were. They were a danger to everything. She also knew Rich was the only mutant who ever stood near one without being threatened. She also remember the town's view on Sentinels. She looked at Rich and said, "If this project ever gets launched, it will ruin the family. We can't let it happen."

She saw Rich nod to some security men and said, "It won't. Those gentlemen will take of the problem, when I tell them to." Godiva realized that Rich had a plan. She then smiled as Rich said, "Now, let's go to the meeting. It's time to handle things." She nodded and they started into the room.

As they entered the room, she watched as everyone stood, and one man said, "Attention, this meeting of the executives will now commence." She could see the shocked look on the face of the man they ran into in the hall.

Richard motioned for them to sit down and said, "Be seated all. We have a few things to discuss here before we move on with the main reason we are all here. First of all, there is notice about some complains from our branch in Orange County, California. Mr. Foster, what is the issue?"

She watched as a middle age gentleman stood and said, "Mr. Cale, it's about the two people staying at the one apartment at our branch. I know you set it so they can stay there, or at any branch, but the man is handful."

Godiva saw Rich nod and say, "Consider yourself fortunate that the girl is there. He is crazy, but don't give into his act. He only got my respect when he earned it. Besides, I owe those two, which leads us to another issue."

She then saw a Japanese man stand and say, "Does this relate to what happened two months back?" When Rich nodded, the man said, "How does it relate?"

She watched as Rich opened a computer file, that showed on the big screen in the room. He then said, "Within the past few months, there are several inconsistencies in the reports. Apparently, one branch has been purchasing alot of materials. Those used in robot construction. Now, as Mr. Otonashi knows, I was in Japan, with some students of mine, and one of them was kidnapped. Luckily they were rescued, but through some investigating, I found out it was a Genoshian project. Appearently, a new breed of Sentinel will be using a mutant as it's power source. A mutant this person is still trying to capture."

She saw the man they ran into in the hall stand up and say, "That's preposterous. Who would do something like that?"

She watched as Rich looked at the man and said, "You would. You have the photo of the student of mine who was kidnapped. You said she was a robotic expert. She's my student. You have been working on an illegal project. Mr. Johnson, you will no longer be in charge of the branch you are in. You will be placed under arrest."

Godiva could tell Mr. Johnson was fuming, and the authoritizes were starting to enter. She saw Mr. Johnson stand up and say, "Damn your mutant loving hide. You're a shame to all normal people." As if to punctuate his statement, he grab the walking stick of another member and hurled it like a javalin. It happened so fast that Godiva couldn't react in time.

She saw a grin on his face and then noticed Rich had raised his hand. The grin had faded in utter shock as Rich waved his hand and the cane fell to pieces. She saw that Rich's hand now resembled Yvette's when she used her power. Rich just look at Mr. Johnson as the authorites grabbed him and said, "To whomever owned that walking stick, I'll pay for the replacement. Will someone take Mr. Johnson out of here."

When Mr. Johnson was out of the room, Rich said, "Now, I'm sorry for that little scene, but if you didn't already know, I am a mutant. I have always strived to do what is best for all, just as all who preceded me in this position. Unfortunately, I am not best in the business sense. Hense, I have decided to turn over control of the company to my cousin, Godiva. She will handle the important business issues. I will still own the company, but my attention will be eleswhere. Now, she will speak with you." She watched Rich step back, and motioned for her to step up to the podium.

Godiva looked out at the people and said, "I don't have much to say right now, however I am honored to help out this company. I know this company is for helping people , and improving the cost of life for people in general. I hope to live up to keeping this company to the dream it was made for." She was amazed as every gave her a standing ovation. She felt that she was making the right choice.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. D.O.A.**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

D.O.A. lead the rest of the hellions into the planning room. Emplate had wanted all of the hellions in the room for this. He was amazed that Emplate had kept these three for so long. Of course, the kidnapped girls, as well as his new magic powers, helped in that task. D.O.A. did worry about the fact that lately, Emplate had been abducting only women. Occasionally, he would abduct a mutant, but most of them anymore were women. D.O.A. was getting majorly concerned. As they entered the main room, he heard Emplate say, "Good, you got our little group together. We must plan out our attack for tomorrow morning."

D. looked at Emplate and said, "Not much time for planning. Why in the morning?"

He was surprised when Emplate smiled and said, "That is a very good question, D. It must be in the morning because everyone would be leaving in the afternoon. Besides, everyone will be busy with the wedding. It will be the perfect time to strike." D. knew this was the case. That plan seemed to work. He then heard Emplate say, "We will start by capturing Kyuukai. Once we have her, the rest will fall with ease. Once they are all captured, I will give some to all of you."

D. heard all the hellions cheer, and saw Elane and Freeze Frame smile. They knew something about things. Maybe they were getting a special prize for their part. He then remembered one thing about the school. The X-Men were there, as well as the one who helped stopped them one time, Bishop. D. then said, "Sir, what about Bishop? He's already keeping an eye out for you. He's gonna be gunning for you, and even most of us."

He then heard Elane say, "Bishop is not aware of the full extent of Marius' new power. He doesn't even know about Freeze Frame. Also, none of them are ready for an attack." He had to admit, she had a point on that one.

D. remembered the main part of the plan, the capture of Kyuukai. He also knew all the psi's were watching her. He looked at Emplate and said, "Sir, what about all the psi's? They will know that we are coming, especially if we go after Kyuukai."

He felt Emplate staring at him, and saw him smile. It was still odd seeing Emplate smile. Emplate then said, "D.O.A., lets speak for a moment, in private." He nodded slowly and followed Emplate out of the room. He started to wonder if he was in trouble, as he followed, and hoped he wasn't.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Marius**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Marius watched as D.O.A. followed him out fo the room. As they walked, Marius said, "You are worried about the psi's. I tell you they will be no problem." He didn't see D's concern lift and said, "Once we capture Kyuukai, I will use her power on every psi. The backwash will force everyone to disable all the psi's, meaning, Emma, Chamber, M, Jean Gray, and Prof. X. will be out of it."

He still saw D.O.A. was nervous as he said, "Yea, but not all the psi's will be affected. Richard and Yvette won't be affected." He realized the root of the matter.

Marius looked at D.O.A. and said, "Listen, Donald." He saw D.O.A. looked shocked for a minute. He had only first use D's first name when they first met. He then said, "You remember the first time we met. You knew I'd kill you in an instant, yet you tried to help me. You offered me a skill you had mastered, due to your mutant ability. I appreciated that, and then when you were about to be a meal, you mentioned your cousin. You remember what you told me about her, right?"

He saw D.O.A. nod and say, "Yes, I remember. I led you to her, saying if you did things right, she'd last you a long time."

Marius smiled and said, "And she was here, for many years, after I killed her parents, and took her in. You even helped care for her, since you were the only one who could touch her. Let's face it D. You were the only one who could handle her, and she never figured it out. She still hasn't" He saw D. smile as he then said, "You miss your cousin, Yvette. I miss her as well, but after tomorrow, she will be back, as well as her dear husband."

As they entered the room he did his spying from, he heard D. say, "I still find it hard to believe she's married. Have you ever spied on them when you spy?"

Marius smiled and said, "The only times I see them is when Monet sees them. That is the only problem with spying through my sister's eyes. However, it may prove useful later." He had to admit that he was surprised that Monet and Angelo were in the same room together. He might have to remember that for a future time. Maybe at a later time, he could blackmail her into helping him after he captured all of Generation X. He then saw she was in the hall, helping set up the wedding. He looked at D and said, "Let's see what we can find out."

He saw D. nod, and soon they heard Monet say, "Sean, where is Emma at? I need to talk with her." He could see Sean walk into view and knew exactly how he would answer. He also wondered why Monet needed to see Emma.

He heard Sean say, "She's with Jean and the Professor, helping Kyuukai. Why did ye need to see her, lass?"

Marius then heard words he didn't want to hear. He heard Monet say, "I think I may need to speak with her about the headaches I've been having lately. I'm hoping it's not related to my seperation from Claudette." Marius knew that wasn't the case, but he also planned to keep watching. The headaches were being cause by his spying. He started to hope that his magic could not be detected psionically. If it could, they would be expecting an attack.


	101. Rehersal Jitters

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

Rehersal Jitters

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Kyuukai**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Kyuukai sat in the room with Emma Frost, Jean Grey, and Professor Xavier. This would be the moment that her power would be repressed. She was eager for this, especially with all the people here. She didn't want her power going out of control on any of them. She was glad to hear Emma say, "Now, Kyuukai, let me tell you what you are about to experience."

She looked at Emma and said, "Alright, it might help my nerves." The whole day, her nerves had been on edge. She didn't know what this would do, or how it would appear, but she needed it solved.

She then heard Emma say, "When we all go to the Astral Plane, you will see all of us normal, however Professor Xavier, Jean, and myself will have a noticable Aura surrounding us." Kyuukai started to wonder how those representations would appear. She tried not to let her mind wander, but it did. She decided to close her eyes, so she wouldn't focus on Emma.

As she did that, she heard Jean say, "What you will also see there, Kyuukai, is a representation of you powers. Your powers will have a manifestation on the Astral Plane, and they might even affect you. What ever you do, don't allow it to succeed. If you do, it might change you."

Kyuukai now had a better appreciation for what some mutant could do on the Astral Plane. She wondered how mutants could travel on that plane so well. She tried to relax herself, so she wouldn't be overwhelmed when they got to the Astral Plane. She then heard Professor Xavier say, "Alright, here we go."

She blinked, and just like that, she was on the Astral Plane. Standing in front of her was Emma, Jean, and Professor Xavier, but there was another figure there. She heard the figure say, "What do you want? Are you all here for some fun?" It sounded like her, only when she and Godiva were alone. She then saw the figure face her, and she realized it was her powers, except the power personified looked like her, but dressed as a harem girl.

She then noticed that Professoer Xavier had started to change into an armored figure, and a fire was froming around Jean. She also noticed that Emma's attire was getting more and more revealing. She then noticed that her own outfit was starting to change into that of the image in front of her. It was scaring her. She didn't know what was happening, and she shouted, "What's happening to me?" She had a feeling that whatever it was, wasn't good at all.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Jean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jean saw what was happening even before Kyuukai shouted. Somehow, by bringing her to the Astral Plane, they magnified Kyuukai's power to a dangerous level. It was bring out their own darker selves, and in turn, her power was taking on it's darker form. What was worse was that the darker form was starting to take over Kyuukai. It took some of her best will power, but she stopped her own transformation and focus her abitily on Kyuukai's power. Instantly, a chain appeared around the representation of Kyuukai's power, as it said, "What is this?"

As she focused on the binding, she felt the transformation start to reverse. She looked at the others and said, "We need to bind her fast. It's the only way to reverse the change."

She then heard Emma say, "I understand. We don't need Charles having another experience that releases Onslaught again." Soon, Jean saw another chain appear on the figure, and the transformation reversed some more.

Soon, a third chain appear, and she heard Professor Xavier say, "Perhaps doing this on the Astral Plane was a mistake. We only strengthed her power by bring her here, and we see what that caused." She had to agree with that thought. She also noticed that the chain figured had stopped struggling and was actually motionless. That was the thing they all had waited for. It was the sign that Kyuukai's powers were now surpressed.

With a blink of her eyes, they were back in the room they had started in. Jean could tell by the looks around the room, that the ordeal was intense. It took a lot of will power to repress their dark halves. She was so focused on recovery that she almost didn't hear the fast shuffle of movement outside the room. When she did hear the movement, she glanced over in time to see a flash of red hair. She knew who had been near the door. It was Yvette. She looked over and said, "Do you think Yvette detected what happened?"

She then heard Charles say, "If she did, it would not have been as severe as we felt. I think she was checking on us. With her psionics the way they are, she's impossible to keep track of. I've been trying to locate her, but it seems she's keeping an eye on us. She must be aware that we want to speak with her about the strange occurance last night."

Jean was surprised by this. She looked over and asked, "What occurance are you referring to, because I didn't notice anything, except for a sudden jolt." She figured it had something to do with Yvette in some way, but she wasn't totally sure. It might even explain Monet's headaches, but she wanted to wait before mentioning them.

She was surprised when Emma said, "Apparently, Charles had an unusual encounter on the Astral Plane. It appears the entity he encountered was Grimore, Rich and Yvette's cat. It is something we want to ask them about. I think Yvette is expecting it and trying to prolong our inquiry." Now she knew why, and maybe before the day was out, she should mention Monet's headaches. However, this mystery was taking high priorty.

She stood and said, "I'm going to ask Ororo to take Kyuukai to see Godiva, when Godiva gets back. Also, may I suggest that we wait until Rich gets back to ask about Grimore. He will be the best one to ask." She watched as the others nodded in agreement, and she went to get Ororo. She just hoped Rich would return soon.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett stood in front of the alter as they rehersed for his wedding tomorrow. He was a bit nervous. He wanted everything to go right tomorrow. The only bad thing was that some of the people for the rehersal weren't present. First of all, Emma wasn't there, who was standing in for Clarice's mother. Second of all, Rich wasn't there, who was his best man. At least Sean, Yvette, Daria and Everett were all there. He was thankful that Rogue and Bishop were filling in for the missing people. It allowed them to be ready for tomorrow, but still not everyone would be ready. He knew Rich would be in touch with Yvette, and Emma was a telepath, but it would help if they were there in person. Deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. He had had too many days important to him ruined. He was afraid that this was going to be another one. He was so deep in thought on the topic that Bishop surprised him when he said, "What is troubling you, Darrett?"

He just realized then that the rehearsal had stopped. He looked around and said, "I'm sorry. My mind is not totally with it. I'm just worried about something." He then realized that everyone was staring at him. He had ruined the rehearsal just by being lost in thought.

He then heard the minister say, "Maybe we will have better luck with the real thing. We don't have much time to rehearse anymore. I shall see you all again in the morning." He then knew rehearsal was over. The minister wouldn't be back until the morning, for the actual service. Now all he had to do was hope this feeling of dread passed.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Clarice looking at him as she said, "Darrett, what's wrong? What is bothering you?"

He looked around to see that some people had moved off to have conversations, but both Clarice and Bishop were right by him. He lowered his head and said, "All my life, when something big in my life was about to happen, something disastrous happened. I'm just hoping the same doesn't happen here."

Clarice smiled at him and said, "Darrett, nothing that terrible could happen to us. Look at the timeline I came from. Look at the timeline you came from. We didn't have good lives there. Here, those nightmares can't happen. We are going to be safe." He wanted to believe that, more than anything else in the world.

It was then he heard Bishop say, "Maybe I should talk with both of you." He was surprised by the tone of Bishop's voice. It only made his feeling feel worse. Now he really hoped Clarice was right.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Clarice**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Clarice was a bit surprised when Bishop said those words. He looked like he was dead serious about something, and something about that worried her. She had seen Bishop in her timeline, and knew he was almost always serious. She looked up at Bishop and said, "What's wrong, Bishop?"

She watched as Bishop looked at both her and Darrett and said, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I feel I have to. I know you like to think that your timelines won't happen, but there is still a chance the timelines can happen. With the fact that alternate timelines exist, nothing can prevent your timelines from happening. If you both could prevent your timelines from happening, you wouldn't exist. This is something I've learned, I thought you should know it as well."

She felt scared at that thought. Apocalypse still being able to take over in this world was not a pleasant thought. She didn't even want to think Darrett's timeline was still possible. She saw how Rich had died in her timeline, and she saw how good a fighter he was there. She looked at Darrett as he said, "You knew about the events causing the Emplate war. How did it start?"

Clarice saw Bishop lower his head and then finally said, "They arrived through a portal. It was a man and a woman. That's all I can tell you. I'm not sure where the invasion began, but it did start with two, who were the ones who began it all."

She almost shuddered when she heard those words. It was as if the event was going to happen. She knew Emplate was still out there. She knew that Elane was pregnant. The big issue was when would he strike. She hoped that Emplate would wait to attack the school until the wedding was over, and the school was vacated. It would be his final loss. Deep down, in her heart, she knew they would defeat Emplate, but part of her was scared to face him. She then heard Bishop say, "I'm sorry to have mentioned this now. I know it's been bothering me, but it's no reason for me to ruin your special day. I do know that you two will be happy together."

That lifted her spirits. She looked at Bishop and said, "Thank you. I'm also glad you are attending the wedding." She smiled and then turned with Darrett to see Yvette heading out. She looked at Darrett and said, "Any clue why she's heading out. She came in just as we were ready to start rehearsal."

She heard Darrett say, "I don't know, but I think Rich is soon going to be back. Hopefully, he has some good news." She smiled at that thought. Maybe it was about preparations for where they were going to live. She had always wondered what the Cale home looked like. She had heard her version of Richard speak of the place, but she never got to see it. It was an exciting prospect to her, and she couldn't wait until after the wedding.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Sean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sean stood next to Yvette as the rehearsal ended. He could see that Darrett had been lost in thought. He was thankful that Clarice asked him to fill in for her father. He had missed out of one oppurtinity for a wedding. When the minister left, he quietly said to Yvette, "Ye know, I missed out of seeing this with you."

He watched as Yvette turned to him and said, "I'm sorry about that, 'father'." He smiled a bit when he heard her say that. Even though he had adopted her, he still felt good when he heard her call him father. She then said, "When Rich and I headed off to England, we didn't know we'd be married."

He understood that little fact. Their marriage was as much a surprise to them as it was to whole team. He looked out at the others and then said to her, "You know, lass, over all the time here, I've seen everyone form relationships here. You and Rich, Jubilation and Everett, Jonothan and Paige. Look, even Darrett and Clarice are getting married. Everyone here has grown up and is preparing to move on."

He saw Yvette lower her head as she said, "I don't think we'll lose touch. Rich still plans to keep in touch with everyone. Besides, he's offered jobs to all who aren't going with us or with the X-Men. Personally, I think he's trying to keep his family together, so to speak."

Sean thought about that for a moment and realized what Yvette was saying. Ever since the death of Rich's parents, the school had been his only family. Sean sighed and said, "You're right, lass. I sometimes forget how much Rich valued his family. You know lass,..." He turned to see her staring out, like she was talking psioncially. When she appeared to stop, she turned and headed for the door. He quickly said, "Yvette, where are ye going?"

He watched as she faced him and said, "Sorry, Rich will be back soon, and he told me he needed to make a very important phone call. I'll explain later, if I can." He then watched her run out the door. Whatever had happened, it must have been important.

When the door closed, he turned and looked over to see Jubilee and Everett talking. He decided he should talk with them. As he approached the two, he said, "And how are you two doing with all this." He figured that Everett might have a bit more difficulty with the day than anyone else. He hoped the cause was not something bad about to happen.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Everett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Everett was almost surprised when he heard Sean approach. When the rehersal ended, he wanted to talk to Jubilee about the whole thing. The fact that he was related to Darrett in an alternate timeline bothered him a lot. He was still trying to piece it all together, and the wedding didn't help it much. He heard Jubilee say to Sean, "I think Ev has a lot on his mind."

He wasn't really surprised when Sean said, "I could see that. Lad, what is on ye mind? What has ye troubled?"

Everett sighed and said, "I'm somewhat bothered about this. Darrett told both me and Daria why he wanted us. In his timeline, we are his parents." He heard Sean gasp at that. It was an expected reaction. He had heard Jubilee gasp the same way when he had told her. He looked at Sean and said, "That's the same way Jubilee reacted. I didn't think I should keep it secret from her."

Sean looked at him and said, "When did the lad decide to reveal this info?" He had a feeling when the information was found out, and who had found it out.

He looked up at Sean and said, "I think I know when the information was found out. It had to happen when we were in Japan. Remember how I said that Clarice and Darrett headed off on their own."

Sean nodded and said, "Which lead to that month long punishment, Aye remember it."

Everett then said, "Well, I remember that Rich and I went to look for them. I synched up with Clarice, and I think he found out because he got Darrett's power." That is when he thought the truth was found out.

Jubilee then said, "I wonder if that's why Rich has been so secretive lately. I mean, after that, he's been speaking with them in private, as well as those phone calls." He had to admit, after that incident in Japan, Rich had made a lot of mysterious calls.

He then said, "Yes, I wonder if we will ever find out why he was making them." He then looked at Jubilee, smiled and said, "Do you want to tell him the good news?" He felt it was time they changed the subject. Maybe some good news would change how things went.

He then heard Sean ask, "And what good news is this?" It was obvious that Sean wanted to see that they had some good news. He wasn't sure how well Sean would take it, but maybe it would help liven the day.

He watched Sean as Jubilee said, "Ev proposed. We are going to get married." He saw that Sean was shocked, but it was a good shock.

He saw Sean smile and say, "You two, that is wonderful news. I hope you plan to share the news soon."

Everett nodded and was about to answer when he heard Rich say, _"Everett, Jubilation, Darrett, and Clarice. My office immediatly."_ He saw the look on Jubilee's face and he knew it was the same as his. Something big required them to be there. He wondered if it was time to find out about what was going on."

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Kyuukai**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Daria looked out the hall door just as Rich and Godiva returned. She had seen Rich head immediately up to his office, the same direction Yvette went a few moments ago. She started to wonder what was up, but then remember why she was waiting for them to get back. She had to speak with Godiva. She turned back to face Mondo and says, "Now's our chance. Let's speak with Godiva."

She saw Mondo nod and say, "Are you sure you want to do this? It will be very hard for her to except the fact, especially since she thinks you are Sean's adopted daughter." She remembered the lie that Rich had told Godiva that story long ago.

She just looked at Mondo and said, "I have to tell her. I can't hide it any longer. I just feel like I need to clear the air, and learn about the man who sent me here. I always knew there was more to him that what he showed."

He nodded and said, "Alright, let's do this together then. Just state first that we want to help at the museum. It looks like she had a very strange day." She had to admit, Godiva looked a bit worse for wear. She wondered what happened at the company.

As they approached Godiva, Daria looked at her and said, "Godiva, can we speak with you for a moment?"

She watched as Godiva turned to face her and said, "Sure, Daria. What's on your mind? Something about my cousin's job offer?" She wondered if Godiva had an idea of what she was going to say or not.

She nodded and said, "Something like that. Mondo and I aren't going to take the job offer. We'd rather help out at your museum."

Daria could see that Godiva was confused, and her next statements only confimred it. "Daria, Mondo, Rich has offered you a good job and a place to live. You can't do much better than that. Why work at my museum?"

She heard Mondo say, "Godiva, I think I might have to explain it after she tells you." She noticed that Godiva gave Mondo an odd look, but she had a feeling what Godiva may be thinking.

Before Godiva could open her mouth, she said, "The reason I want to work at your museum is that I feel a connection to you. You see, the person who sent me to this school was your father, Bastion." She saw Godiva's eyes go wide, and could tell that it looked like Godiva wasn't going to take the news well at all.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Mondo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mondo could see Godiva was about to scream in anger. He quickly stood in front of her and said, "Godiva, can you give me a moment to explain, and maybe you'll understand why we kept this secret from you for so long."

He saw Godiva blink twice before she finally said, "Alright, but I'll tell you this right now, this had better be good. If it's not the truth, God help the both of you." He didn't like how she said it, but he understood.

He nodded and said, "Alright. This whole story begins shortly after Rich got here. It basically began with Black Tom's attack on the school..." From there, he told the whole tale about Bastion's appearence, Rich's suicide attempt, when Jean & Scott came to the school, and finally Daria's arrival. As the whole tale unfolded, he could see the look in Godiva's eyes changing from anger to sadness. He finished his tale by saying, "That is basically why Daria wants to join you in Easton. She feels a bond to you. It was also the fact that we didn't know how you'd react. As you heard, Rich took it very hard."

He watched as Godiva sat in a nearby chair and said, "That would explain alot. I had a chance to look at the will of our grandfather a few years. I had seen my father's name was taken out of it. I asked my mother a few times, but she said it was because he was dead. I had tried to get a death certificate, but I got a run around. I had a feeling something was odd, but I never wanted to let on. I sort of kept it quiet for my brother, and for Rich." He watched as she lowered her head and just said, "This has been a day. First what happens at the company, and now this." At that, Mondo noticed Jubilee, Everett, Clarice and Darrett running up to Rich's office.

He heard Daria say, "What happened? I noticed Rich ran up to his office as he came in."

His concern grew when Godiva said, "Apparently, someone at the company was running an illegal operation involving stuff from Genosha. When the guy was found out, he lashed out. As we were driving back, Rich mentioned that he was going to inform the person who helped him find the source that the problem was gone. I don't know, but Rich said it had to deal with something in Japan." Mondo now had an idea what was going on. He now wondered how it was going to be handled, and what was going on in Rich's office.


	102. Questions Answered

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

Questions Answered

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Bob**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Bob smiled and nodded as he mingled among the crowd. He loved this. At these parties, he was the center of attention. For all the years and experience working with Canon had brought him, Bob was unparalleled in his knowledge of the inner workings of the political system. And now everyone wanted in, everyone wanted to give him their opinions in hope that it might become an issue in the next big election, or become the topic of hot debate somewhere. Thanks to Canon Bob's name was synonymous with the political world, and also thanks to Canon, his name was on the lips of Hollywood to. That last part was at his request. Everyone wanted to be a big name in Hollywood with the least amount of effort, and thanks to Canon, Bob's name was known all across LA.

Bob was dealing with a young actress now who wanted him to mention her name to a director Bob allegedly knew. Bob was laughing it up and enjoying every minute of it, until his cell phone rang. It was the important cell, too; the one attached to a vid-phone elsewhere in the house. Bob excused himself and headed down the hallway, flipping open the cell phone as he went. "Bob Bonega." He said in his best business tone as he hurried towards the vid-phone, "Make it quick."

"I need to speak with Robert DiSalle," came the voice on the other end of the phone. Bonega recognized it immediately; it was that Cale fellow. He and Canon had been keeping in touch with each other quite frequently since the incident a few months ago. "Tell him it's about the issue concerning Japan."

"Yes, of course." Bob replied as he entered the vid phone room. He nodded to an agent standing in the corner and the man left the room to find Canon. Bob went to work hooking up the cell phone to the video screen.

Within a few moments, a large figure entered the room wearing a suit and followed by about four other men. "You may go." Canon said to his entourage as he approached the video screen.

"Nice to see you again," Rich said as Canon sat down before the video screen, "especially since our last face to face encounter."

"Likewise." Canon replied, "I trust you received the information we tracked down. Did any of it prove helpful?"

"Indeed, it did prove helpful." Rich responded, "The person involved is now under arrest. I do appreciate the help in tracking him down." Rich motioned to the small crowd in the room with him on his end of the transmission, "It should also be good news to the students in my care. I invited them in for this."

"Really?" Canon replied, "And did the baseline put up much of a fight as he was being detained?"

"Well, he didn't like being discovered, but he didn't realize that I knew of his plan. He tried to say my student was a scientist. Not that he was aware she was my student"

"Well, here's hoping that he gets what he deserves." Canon grinned as he raised his glass. As he finished, he said, "Is Miss Lee there with you now?"

"Indeed, Jubilation, please step forward."

"Jubilation," Canon said, growing a bit more somber, "I want you to know how much I regret for the trouble I caused you in Japan. Nothing I can do can make up for it, but I hope you will at least accept my apologies."

There was a moment of silence before Everett spoke up "Sir, I think you left her speechless."

"Which is very hard to do," said the boy named Darrett.

"Well, at any rate, I'm glad the madman's plan has been foiled. And I appreciate the help. Good luck to you all in the future," Rich said as he prepared to end the conversation.

Canon responded. "Indeed."

"Mr.Cale?" Bob piped in, "Good luck on your new post." Skitz nodded and the screen went blank. Bob turned to his employer and said, "Do you really think it's the best idea to trust him?"

Canon raised an eyebrow, "Well now, Bob, questioning my judgment?" Canon stood and approached his protégé, "that is very unlike you." Canon chuckled a little, "No, Bob, Rich has shown his respect to me and I am simply showing respect in return. Canon still trusts no one, but that doesn't mean I have no need for allies."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Jubilee**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jubilee sat quietly, since she was still shocked at the apology. After the whole affair in Japan was over, everyone had gotten her filled in on what had happened. Now, the man who had hired 'The Hand' had apologized to her. When she finally composed herself again, she finally said, "I can't believe he thinks an apology will solve it."

She was almost startled when Rich said, "When if comes down to it, he apologized for being duped into being part of the whole mess. That, I think, was what he wanted to set straight. Over all, Canon was not used once, but twice."

She looked at him and shouted, "HE WAS USED!?!?!. HOW ABOUT I WAS USED!"

She was startled when Rich looked at her and said, "If it wasn't for his help, I wouldn't have found the man who wanted to use you in a new version of Sentinal. Face it, Jubilee, first he was used by Adrienne to try and kill me, and then, he got used twice because 'The Hand' was paid by that man to capture you. Canon got duped twice, and I wouldn't have known about the traitor in my own company if he hadn't kept in touch."

She was amazed by that. She then heard Clarice say, "So that's who the strange calls were with. The man who was behind the whole mess in Japan. How can you trust him? You heard what Kevin and Christy had said."

Jubilee was surprised when Rich looked at Clarice and said, "I don't trust him, but I respect him. When he realized he was being used, he no longer wanted to fight me. It's like a mututal respect for each other arose at that time during the sword fight. Plus, something I found out when I had his power; when he found out what Jubilee's fate was going to be, he started planning her rescue."

Jubilee was surprised more by that little item. She looked at Rich and said, "You mean after he found out that 'The Hand' was going to send me to Genosha, he was planning a rescue. I guess he isn't the evil madman we were told he is."

She then heard Yvette say, "He has some issues. Rich had told me about some of them. I think he's still morning a loss. Rich even hopes he'll changes his ways."

She then heard Everett say, "You are always hoping for the best for people, aren't you, Rich?"

She watched as Rich nodded and said, "Yes, that is the truth Everett. I have to hope for the best. Speaking of that topic," Jubilee knew what had entered into Rich's mind. He wanted to know what they had decideded about the job.

Before he could continue, Jubilee smiled and said, "Everett and I are accepting the job offer in Chicago. It's gonna be good for the both of us." She smiled at Everett and saw him smile back. It was going to be nice spending the rest of her life with Everett.

They were all surprised when she heard Emma said, "Well, that has things set for almost all of Generation X. Now, if you students wouldn't mind, we need to speak with Rich and Yvette." She turned to see Emma had Professor X and Jean with her. Whatever was about to happen, it was a major psychic issue. She decided maybe it was best if they leave.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Yvette went pale when she heard what Emma had said. It was the thing she had been fearing all day, and she hadn't told Rich what was happening yet. She had kept an eye on the others earlier, mainly because she was concerned about them looking for her. She had almost been late for rehersal, but got there in time. She looked at the others and said, "Maybe it is best if you all go." She watched as all the students left the room and Emma, Jean, and Professor Xavier entered.

As they entered, she heard Rich say, "Is there something wrong, Emma? I haven't been around much of today, but I take it something is bothering you." It was at that time she went to close the door, that she saw Grimore enter, and jump up on the desk. She was almost surprised when Rich picked up Grimore and said, "Grimore, how are you? Did you miss me?"

It was then that Professor Xavier said, "It looks like he did miss you. He seems to be a bit protective of you as well."

She could see Rich was very weary of his next words. His first words were to her as he said _"Hun, what is going on here?"_ He then said to Xavier, "Any pet is cautious of his owner. Animals care for their owners, and will help them if they can. Why do you ask?"

She watched, but silently said in their mindlink. _"Grimore encounted Xavier last night, on the Astral Plane."_ She saw Rich almost frown at that.

She then heard Emma say, "I take it Yvette just told you why we are here. Charles had an encounter on the Astral Plane. All the evidence points to your cat, and frankly I myself would like some answers."

Yvette just calmy said, "If we do answer your questions, you must respect that we can't answer them all." She watched as Rich nodded in agreement. She then went over and stood next to Rich and said, "What do you want to know about Grimore?"

She saw Jean look at them and said, "I remember Hank once mentioned that Grimore was a familiar. Is that true?"

She listened as Rich said, "That's true. He's a familiar bound to my family. As long as the Cale family is around, Grimore will be around. He also protects the family from threats, or what he perseves as threats."

She then heard Xavier say, "Does that include communication, as in speaking with the attacker?"

Yvette noticed Rich look at Grimore, and then back at Xavier and said, "It may very well include that. However, he won't speak with anyone other than me and Yvette. Now, if you had the encounter on the Astral Plane, it might have happened differently. However, if he had to face you, there must have been a reason. Why did he encounter you?"

She noticed that Xavier looked uneasy, and that was when Emma said, "This morning, Charles noticed something odd happening on the Astral Plane. When he went to investigate, he ran into Grimore. I take it this was something you were part of." She watched as Rich nodded and she then said, "I shall also guess that it was for your eyes only."

When Rich nodded, she saw Jean nod and say, "Then maybe we should not pry anymore. It is obvious to us that what ever happened was meant for you. I may make one suggestion, Richard, and that is you tell the others about Grimore. If you don't do it soon, it may haunt you. Now, I believe you have some of the other students to talk to."

Yvette looked at Rich and said, "She's right. We still need to know about Angelo, Daria and Mondo." She watched as Rich nodded. She motioned everyone out of the room and then looked at Rich and Grimore. She could tell Rich was upset with Grimore, but she knew they could talk about it later. She smiled and said, "Hun, we need to talk with the others. You two can talk later."

She watched as Rich got up and said, "We will talk later, Grimore, especially about who you decide to confront. Right now, I have students to attend to, but I will talk to you later, Grimore." She smiled at that until she heard Rich say, _"He messed up big time. He knows it. Now, lets find the others."_ She followed Rich as they headed out of the office, in search of the others.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Ororo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Ororo walked with Kyuukai down the hall to find Godiva. She could tell Kyuukai was still a bit out of it due to her experience. As they walked, Ororo looked at Kyuukai and said, "Kyuukai, I've seen how you and Godiva act with each other. How did you two meet?"

She noticed Kyuukai smile as she said, "Oh, that was a magical night. The past few weeks at school, I had seen her around, and thought she was so beautiful. The only thing was, she kept talking with one guy, and I wondered who he was. I found out it was Rich and I asked him what my chances were with Godiva. I didn't know her orientation at that time."

She got the feeling that this was almost a fairy tale love story. The only difference with this one from the one's she had heard was that the prince and the princess were both princesses. She looked at Kyuukai and said, "So what else happened?" She did want to hear the end of the story.

She noticed Kyuukai smiled as she said, "Well, Rich said go to the dance and wait. When I got there, I waited, and Rich arranged for the most beautiful scene. Everyone parted to let her enter, and for one whole dance, only the two of us were dancing. As we danced, I saw Rich leave the dance area. Not to long after that, he left for college. It was a magical night."

Ororo had to agree with that. It sounded beautiful. She then noticed that they were at the hall, and Godiva was sitting in a corner. Ororo could tell something was bothering the girl, and hoped Kyuukai could cheer her up. She walked up to Godiva, noticing Mondo and Daria there, and said, "Godiva, glad to see you here. Someone is eager to see you."

She saw Godiva look up and smile as she said, "Kai, you are better. I could use your support now." She could see something was truely bothering her.

Ororo looked at Godiva and said, "Child, what is wrong? What is bothering you so much?" She didn't like to see people upset, and it was clear to her that Godiva was upset.

She then heard Daria say, "I think her mood is partially our fault. We told her about how I came to be here." Ororo was confused by this, but then she didn't know the full story of how Daria came to be at the school. Daria then said, "You see, I was in the care of her father before I came here."

Ororo was confused by this. She didn't know who Godiva father was, but it was something that was still bothering the girl. She was confused by this as she said, "What happened with you father?" She could tell Godiva didn't want to talk about it, but was also surprised by the fact that she didn't know.

She was almost surprised when she heard Angelo say, "Oh no, don't tell me you told Godiva about that, Daria." She turned to see Angelo had just walked into the room. Something told her that whatever it was, it was big, and maybe Angelo could answer her question.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Angelo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Angelo looked at everyone and noticed how puzzled Ororo was. He then looked at Daria and Mondo and said, "Did you two tell Godiva about her father, and about everything that followed that moment?"

He watched as Mondo and Daria nodded and Godiva said, "They told me everything, Angelo. However, I don't think Ororo or Kai knows. If you have a shorter version to tell, Angelo, you should tell it."

Angelo thought about it for a moment and decided that a short story would do. "To keep it short, about a month after Rich joined, all hell broke loose. Soon afterwards, Bastion from Zero Tolerance showed up. It was at that time we found that Rich was related to him, and to save Rich's life, he killed himself and destroyed all of Zero Tolerance. I think you know the rest."

Angelo was startled when he heard Rich say, "I think we all know the rest, Angelo." He turned to see both Rich and Yvette coming into the room. He was almost startled when Rich walked up to Godiva and said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all this, but I had taken it hard. I didn't know how you'd take it. Who was the first to tell you about it?"

He watched as Godiva motioned over to Daria and Mondo. He watched and followed Rich's glance as Daria said, "We both told. You see, we want to help her at the museum, instead of taking your job offer. I thought I needed to bond, in a sister sort of way."

It was then Angelo remember what he had to tell Rich. He wasn't going to take the job offer either. He honestly didn't know what he was going to do. He was already declared dead in most of the world. He wasn't even sure if anyone suspected the truth. He looked at Rich and Yvette and said, "Rich, I need to tell you something."

He was almost startled when Yvette said, "You aren't going to take the job. I could sense it in your mind." Something bothered him about it, but was also glad that Yvette's psychic abilities were improving. He then saw an apologetic look cross her face as she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been looking."

He realized she hadn't meant to invade and smiled. He just said, "No harm done. I just wasn't sure how to tell you. I mean, given my background, it might be awkward to take a job. I'll figure something out, but I don't think you should worry about me."

He watched as Rich smiled and said, "It's cool, Angelo, but do keep in touch. At least I now know about all the students and their plans. I suggest we all rest up now. Tomorrow is a very big day." He then saw Rich and Yvette head out of the room, and noticed that Grimore was following them. He knew pets would sometimes follow their owners, but how Grimore acted was just plain weird. He wondered, just like he had before, if there was more to Grimore than anyone let on.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Grimore**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Grimore walked quietly behind Rich and Yvette. He knew Rich was upset, and he was sure he knew why. Soon, they arrived at the apartment and Rich openned the door. He followed them, seeing Gabe reading one of the books in Rich's library. When the door was closed, he heard Rich say, "Grimore, we need to have a nice chat, about Professor Xavier."

He looked at Rich almost apologetically, and said, "With all due respect, I could not let him in to what was meant solely for you. I was to protect what happened from everyone." To him, his explaination was reasonable. However, he could tell Rich wasn't excepting it.

He was startled when Rich shouted, "You think the founder of this school would hurt people. What ill will could he have?" It was obvious to Grimore that Rich had forgot the incident that drove him to the school in the first place. The incident with Onslaught, which was caused by Charles Xavier.

Grimore looked straight at Rich and said, "Need I remind you of the incident with Onslaught. That was caused by Professor Xavier. Beside, if he is so benevolent, why did he have to investigate? Also, why weren't Godiva and Kyuukai asked to come to the school? I know why you weren't asked. They had no clue you were even a mutant. I hate to say this, sir, but look at Xavier's own X-men. Look at the powers they have. They are very powerful, and look at your own classmates. Why the interest in them?"

He watched as Rich took a step back. He could tell he hit a point that bothered Rich, and something that Rich had never thought of. He then heard Yvette say, "Grimore, do you think Professor Xavier has other reasons for picking the students here?"

Grimore looked at her and said, "If I remember what I heard, Yvette, you were not picked, but left here. I'm not even sure if Xavier himself knew the extent of your powers. I think if he would have known, you would have been invited by Xavier himself." He then saw her sit down in shock. Apparently, his words were having more power than he thought they would have.

It was then he heard Gabe say, "You know, it sounds to me that Xavier has good intentions, but he's trying to get people together to help him if things go wrong. Sort of to help keep the dream alive. But it does seem like Xavier is getting power together, and power is as good, or evil, as the one controlling it."

He then heard Rich say, "You've given us alot to think about Grimore. Tell me, Grimore, what does tomorrow look like?"

Grimore got up and jumped up to the table and said, "It is a day you will survive, just what you do will determine the fates of many. A wrong choice may lead to a very dark time. Just be careful what you do. You might not have as many choices at the key moment." He watched as everyone appeared to be in deep thought about the upcoming events and things he revealed. Inwardly, he hoped that some of the things he'd be wrong about, but only time would tell, especially when it came to Professor Xavier. While the man had a good influence, there was some evil in the man, but depending on the events of tomorrow, he feared Rich would not trust Xavier for some time.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Elane**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Elane gently placed Marcus into his crib. Her son had been tired after his last feeding, and was already asleep. As she pulled the covers over him, she kissed the child on his forehead and said, "Sleep well, my child. Tomorrow will be a day of victory for your father."

As she stood back up, she heard Marius say, "Yes, it will be. We will have alot to celebrate tomorrow." She turned around and embraced him as he said, "Think about it, my love, this time tomorrow, all of Generation X will be captured and either my slave, or a meal."

She smiled at him and said, "Not only that, but it looks like you will get Rich's cousin, and some of the X-Men. You'll have done something no other villian has done. The total defeat of the X-Men." Just the thought of the event filled her with pride. The love of her life totally defeating the most powerful telepath in the world.

She felt Marius take her arms, but not bite into them, as he said, "With Xavier's power, the whole world will be mine. No one will be able to stop us. It will be the dawning of a new age." She loved it when he talked like that. It made her feel like all her dreams were coming true.

As she looked at him, she thought of the place they were at. It had just enough room for his few entralled and them, plus the other 'guests'. She knew that they didn't have enough room here. She looked deeply into Marius' eyes and said, "My dear Marius, where are we going to go after we win. We can't fit all of them here."

She saw Marius smile at that as he said, "Don't you know that Rich owns a huge estate in England. Also, his friend Gabe owns a huge estate in Germany. With their capture, we will own what they own. I may have to kill Gabe, but he is the last of his line. He has no heirs, and no doubt he has no will. Also, we will also gain control of Emma's company. The only little problem is how reluctant Rich will be with what he owns. However, I think his love for Yvette will make him give in."

She marveled at the fact that he could read his opponents so well, but then, a terrible thought crossed her mind. She looked at Marius and said, "Do you think Rich will give in easily? What if he fights you?"

Elane marveled at the evil grin that crossed her lover's face as he said, "He won't fight. He's too scared he will become like me. Plus, if he's fool enough to try and isolate us, I will seperate him from all the others with a spell." She knew he had everything planned out, right down to the details. Now, her only concern was the fact that they had to get Kyuukai singled out.

Before she could ask the question about that, she heard a knock on the room door, and a voice say, "Sir, may I speak with you for a moment?" It was Freeze Frame.

She looked up at Marius and softly said, "What do you think he wants?" She knew Freeze Frame had his talents, and Marius liked having him as an underling. The only worry she had was that Freeze Frame would try to take over.

She watched as Marius headed for the room door and said, "I think he has a way to help in our goal. I will be back as soon as I speak to him about it." She watched as Marius left the room, and she hoped that if Freeze Frame had a plan, that it would be successful.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Freeze Frame**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Freeze Frame was nervous when Emplate came out of the room. He knew what he was about to ask would most likely not be granted, but wasn't sure how Emplate would take it. He almost cringed when Emplate sternly said, "What do you want, Freeze Frame, and it better be good."

He swallowed and said, "Sir, I told Britney of the plan, and she wants to help. She says she could be of great help in capturing Kyuukai." He hoped Emplate might be intrigued by it. He didn't want to be punished for overstepping his boundaries.

He saw Emplate look at him and say, "Does Britney know of a weakness? Something we can exploit to capture Kyuukai?"

He was happy Emplate was willing to listen to what he had to say. He looked Emplate in the eye and said, "Britney knows Kyuukai has a motherly side to her. She is overly concerned about all she knows. Britney said that she would be all you need to lure her out of the school and into your clutches. Once shes out, all we have to do is capture and use her powers against everyone."

He noticed then Emplate was smiling. He had a feeling that Emplate approved of what he was suggesting, and it was only verified when Emplate said, "I like it. I knew I had picked that deceitful girl for a reason. However, I am glad you mentioned her in the first place. It was only right for me to give her to you."

Freeze Frame smiled and said, "I didn't know you had her picked out at first. However, I figured it would be best if I asked for her first. I'm glad you allowed me to have her for myself. I had a feeling she'd remember me. I had gone to school with her."

He saw that Emplate was surprised by that fact. Emplate looked at him and said, "All this time, and I never saw it. You really do care for her, don't you?" Freeze Frame nodded and Emplate said, "Then I will allow her to be part of the attack. You know Freeze Frame, out of all my followers, you appear to be the most loyal. I'll make you my second in command. How does that appeal to you?"

They had started walking to his room during their talk and he said, "I would love that, Emplate. I appreciate the honor. May I ask one question?"

Emplate looked at him and said, "What is it?"

Freeze Frame couldn't help but smile as he said, "If we ever have to deal with your sister Claudette, may I have Quinn as my personal prisoner. I want to make that girl suffer."

He heard Emplate laugh. He wondered if he has asked something wrong, but Emplate just said, "Of course. To be honest, I'd rather have Quinn dead instead of dealing with her. Quinn looks like she would be one to usurp my power. The only reason she supported Claudette is because she hates men."

Freeze Frame had always suspected as much. As he opened the door to his room, he said, "Since Britney will be helping, can you change the spell you used on her so she can be more mobile. She is still bound to me, right?"

Emplate nodded and said, "Yes, and when the day comes that Quinn is in our little group. You may have her as your slave." He watched then as Emplate entered the room and re-did the spell that affected Britney. Now he knew success was soon in their reach.


	103. The Big Day Begins

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

The Big Day Begins

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Grimore**  
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Grimore awoke with a start. All night, his sleep had been untroubled, but now, something was bothering him. He had a bad feeling about what was to happen today. He knew something bad was going to happen today. It was very rare he got these feelings of dread, but when he did, it was never good. He got up and headed over to the bed Rich and Yvette were in. He jumped up to the bed and walked over to between the two of them. Being a cat had it's good points, but also its bad points. This was one of the bad ones. He knew that no cat owner is comfortable waking up to a staring cat. As he sat there, he quietly said, "One of you should wake up soon."

Almost as if prompted, he noticed the Yvette's sleep had gotten restless. It appeared that she was tossing and turning, as if something was bothering her. He wondered if she had an encounter similar to Rich's the previous night. Soon he noticed her opening her eyes, and when she saw him looking at her, she screamed. He watched as she jumped, which also woke up Rich. He jumped back a bit, especially when Yvette said to him, "Grimore, don't do that ever again."

He smiled as best he could, but said, "I'm sorry, but I trust you had a troubled sleep." He watched as she nodded. He looked at her, concerned, and said, "What happened?"

He felt her shudder as she said, "I had an encounter in my dream. It was Bastion. He told me to be careful of my cousin."

He saw Rich hold her as he said, "I never knew you had a cousin, but something tells me that you didn't know it either." When she nodded, Rich turned to him and said, "Grimore, what's going on? And why are you so apprehensive?"

Grimore jumped off the bed and let them get dressed as he said, "It's a big day. A lot of things are going to happen. Right now, you should get dressed. I'll head out to main room." When he was out the door, the door closed and he sat down, looking over at Gabe. Gabe was still asleep, so Grimore jumped up on him and said, "Wake up, Gabe."

Grimore watched as Gabe stirred and said, "Are you the alarm clock for today, Grimore? I heard you wake Rich and Yvette up."

Grimore nodded and said, "Yes, they have to be ready for the wedding, as do you. It is important for you to be there." He jumped off Gabe and onto a nearby table. He then faced him and said, "Today is a bigger day that any can imagine. It would be best to keep that in mind when we all go to the wedding."

At that time, he heard the door to the bedroom open, and Rich and Yvette exited dressed for the wedding. He also saw that Rich had his sword at his side, sheathed in it scabbard. He saw Rich look at him and say, "What do you mean 'we'? Are you saying you need to go?"

Grimore just looked at everyone and said, "I mean we. This day is going to be very important, as you well know. Even some of Yvette's questions are going to get answered today. Now, are we ready to go or not?" He noticed Yvette was still thinking about what she had learned, but he felt all would be revealed at the wedding. He just hoped everything went the right way.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Jono**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jono had been busy most of the night getting stuff ready for the move. It was a slow task since he was working alone. However, a while ago, Sean, Bishop and Scott arrived to help him pack things up. He looked over at Sean and said _"Thank you for helping me get ready to leave, Sean."_

Sean looked at him and said, "Not a problem, lad. I'm glad ye and Paige are going to join the X-men. Besides, with everyone helping, we should be done in time for the wedding." He nodded in agreement. He knew that everyone was leaving after the wedding. He wasn't even sure if they were going to have a brief reception.

While he was lost in thought, he heard Scott say, "At least they plan to have a meal after the services. They shouldn't rush out after all that. They need to celebrate with their friends."

Jono nodded in agreement and said, _"I agree, but I don't know when they plan to leave for England. No one ever said what time the plane was taking off."_ Jono thought about it for a while and then realized what he had been missing. There was no set take off time for the over night trip, because they didn't need one. Jono would have smiled when he said _"I figured out why there is no set time for departure."_

He was surprised when Bishop looked at him and said, "How do you know that? No one knows what airline they are taking." Jono was surprised that Bishop forgot about Rich's company.

Jono just said, _"Rich is probably taking them to England on a company jet. He may have given control of the company to Godiva, but Rich still owns it. No doubt they are all heading to England in one jet."_ He saw the others nod in agreement. He just hoped everything would go as smoothly as they hoped the wedding would go. He knew everyone was worried that something would happen.

He was startled to hear Professor Xavier say, "It seems like everyone in here is worried about the wedding. Are we all expecting trouble?" He was surprised Professor Xavier had come to the room, but he had a feeling there was a reason for the visit. His thought was answered when Professor Xavier said, "Yes, I did have a reason for the visit. I just found out something about your power, and thought I should tell you. I must admit, it is something I would not have initially thought up."

Jono stood there extremely nervous. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. It could be bad, but it could also be good. He braced himself before he asked his next question. _"What did you find out, Professor Xavier?"_

He was stunned when Professor Xavier looked at him and said, "Well, after hearing of Rich's recovery from having your powers, I think it is possible for you to recreate your face and chest. In fact, I was going to help you focus on it for the wedding. If this is the case, do you know what this means?" When Xavier said that, he knew what it meant. It meant he might be able to live a normal life. It was good news, and he knew Paige would love it.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Scott**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Scott could tell Jonothan was happy with the news he heard. He could see it in Jonothan's eyes. He even understood it. He longed for a day he could take the ruby sunglasses off and look at things without fear of blasting them. Now he saw someone getting a wish to get a better life. He wasn't envious, but happy. Jonothan deserved to have that chance. He hear Professor Xavier say to Jonothan. "I suggest you try to focus on what you looked like before the accident."

He watched as Jonothan closed his eyes, and started to concentrate. As he watched, he noticed that Jonothan started to have what appeared to be a full nose. It was working. As more of Jonothan's face showed, he heard Sean say, "Ye are doing it, lad. Keep it up."

Soon, it looked like Jonothan's face was almost complete. He decided to keep up the encouragement and said, "Looking good, Jonothan. Your face is almost complete." It made Scott feel good to see that Jonothan would soon have a complete body again. It was that, more than anything else, that Jonothan wanted.

Soon, no one could see the hole that made up Jonothan's chamber. He appeared to be whole once again. He could see the pleasent surprise on everyone's faces, except for Bishop, who just looked at Jonothan and said, "Paige is going to enjoy that sight, Jono. Trust me, I know she will." He could see that Jonothan wasn't responding, possibly because that it required almost all his concentration to stay whole.

He noticed that Professor Xavier noticed the same thing he saw and said, "Allow me to help you with this, Jonothan." Soon, Scott saw Professor Xavier's eyes glow, and soon it looked like Jonothan had more control over what he had done. Scott realized what Professor Xavier had done. He was helping Jonothan control his change. He also started to worry that Professor Xavier was straining his abilities.

He watched as Jonothan shook his head, and said, "Thank you, Professor. I hope we get to the wedding in time. Sean still has to get ready." He watched as Jonothan look at himself in the mirror and then said, "I'm going to have to get used to this, but after the wedding, I'll return to normal." He watched then as everyone left the room.

Soon, it was just he and Professor Xavier left, and he said, "Professor, I hope you aren't straining your abilities. First helping Kyuukai, and now this. If someone's ability backfires, the effects will be wide spread."

He watched as Professor Xavier steepled his hands and said, "Scott, I don't think so. However, I must admit that something has started to bother me about Richard. His ability is too powerful. It's as if he knows more about abilities than their owners. When Rogue came with us, I think she wanted to learn about her power from Richard. Personally, I wish he would consider spending some time with us, to see if we can understand how his powers work."

Scott nodded in agreement and said, "Well, maybe we can talk to him at the reception. Maybe after he gets settled in England, he might make a trip for a week. If it would help you feel better about Rich's ability, he might agree to it." Scott wasn't sure if Rich would, but it might help. He then left with the Professor, to head to the wedding.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Daria**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Daria was almost dressed in her gown when she looked in the mirror. She couldn't believe how nice she looked. What was even more unbelievable was that the wedding was for her own son, in a manner of speaking. It still seemed unbelievable, but she was happy. She also felt a bit sad, for it was the last day of school. After the wedding, everyone was going to head their own way. That upset her, but not enough to ruin the day. She then looked over at Emma and saw how nicely her former teacher was dressed. When she was done, she walked over to Emma and said, "You look very nice, Emma. You are going to look beautiful in the ceremony."

She watched as Emma faced her and said, "Thank you very much Daria. You look beautiful as well. I must admit, I do feel over dressed."

She almost giggled at that. It was almost common knowledge that Emma thought less was more, but according to Sean, she was wearing more than she used to. She let her laughter pass and then said, "It's the last day, Emma. Are you going to miss us?"

Daria felt Emma's hands on her sholders as she said, "I will miss all of you. Over all of our time here, I came to care for each one of you. You are like an extended family to me. In a way, you are all my children, and I am going to miss all of you when you go."

Daria gave Emma a hug and said, "I'll miss you too, as well as the others."

She then heard Emma say, "Taking care of you children, and teaching all of you, has been one of the best times of my life. I'm glad that you all have turned into a fine team. It's just a shame that you are all going your seperate ways."

She knew what Emma meant, and then said, "Don't worry. Mondo and I will keep in touch. Also, I'm sure almost everyone will keep in touch. I'm not sure about Angelo."

She saw Emma smile as she said, "Angelo didn't want to come here at first. Most likely, he's going to disappear like a ghost. If he writes, he'll write. I know you all will keep in touch." She then noticed that Emma glanced over at the door and said, "Looks like the lady of the hour is here."

Daria looked over and saw Clarice standing in the most beautiful wedding dress. Her white gown was accented by her lavender skin. It was a perfect blend. The way the dress was designed, it looked like it just flowed out of her. Daria could also tell something was bugging Clarice. She decided to walk over to the bride, and as she did, she asked, "How are you feeling, Clarice?" She hoped the answer wasn't a long one.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Clarice**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Clarice was just entering in her gown when she heard the question. Daria should have know not to ask her a question like that, especially on her wedding day. Maybe she could tell Daria her reasons for being nervous. She looked at Daria and said, "I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous, but for many reasons."

She then heard Emma say, "Why are you nervous, Clarice? Is it wedding bell jitters?" She had heard the term before, and maybe part of it was that. Maybe she was scared about the wedding, but there were other things.

Clarice smiled and said, "I'm not nervous about getting married. It is what I wanted. I'm nervous about the day. I've had this feeling that something is going to happen today. I can't shake it, but it's not good." She could tell she was worrying everyone. She was sorry for doing that, but she couldn't shake the bad feeling.

She heard Daria say, "Clarice. Nothing bad will happen today. This is your and Darrett's day. Nothing bad will happen."

Clarice appreciated the good words, but she wanted more. She wanted to be sure that everything would be good. She wanted to be sure nothing bad would happen. She looked at both Daria and Emma and said, "Can either of you give me assurance that by the time we leave this afternoon, nothing bad will happen? I just have this feeling that something will happen today, something terrible."

She was almost startled when she heard Yvette say, "Don't worry, Clarice. You don't have to worry about things going bad. Your wedding will go without a problem. Now, calm down and get ready. The wedding is going to start soon."

She looked over at Yvette, who was already in a blue gown, and said, "Thank you for saying that. I think we will be alright. We are leaving this afternoon for England, right?" She watched as Yvette nodded and then said, "Good. Well everyone, it's soon magic time." She watched as everyone worked to get ready, but she noticed that Yvette headed to the window. She could tell Yvette was deep in thought, and started to wonder if even Yvette believed what she had said. She started to worry again about the day.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. D.O.A.**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

D.O.A. ducked out of sight when he saw Yvette looking his way. Last thing he wanted was for his cousin to see him, even though she didn't know they were cousins. However, if he was spotted, Emplate's plan would come tumbling down. They needed the element of surprise. He chanced a glance back to see no one was looking and then turned on his communicator. Once on, he said "Emplate, are you there?"

Soon a voice spoke and said, "Yes. D. Report."

He took a deep breath and said, "They are getting ready to start the wedding. No doubt the others are in the hall. Once the wedding begins, they won't know what to expect. We will have them overpowered once the psi's are out of the picture."

D. started to wonder how they would do that. He then said, "I know why you had me remove Kyuukai's camera from her purse, but how are we going to stop the psi's. Using her power will only cause them to lose control."

He only realized what would happen when Emplate said, "Rich will take care of that. With his and Yvette's telepathy on a different level than the others, he will have to take on Xavier's power to stun them all. He won't have time to recover and anticipate my attack. It's the perfect plan to get them all unaware."

He had to admit it was well thought out. He then wondered how Emplate planned to control Generation X. He moved over to the hall, and saw everyone was getting seated. The wedding was getting closer to happening. He then said, "Sir. I don't doubt your plan will succeed. I just hope that no one manages to escape. It won't be good if any of them stop you."

He then heard Aura say, "Don't worry about that. Just be ready to capture Yvette. You know she can't hurt you. Just use that advanced technical ability of yours to stop her. I'm sure you have something you can detain Yvette with."

He smiled about the little device he had. It would capture and confine Yvette, especially after he used the device he had created to generate the straps Hunter had used. He then looked up into the hall to see more of guests were there and said, "I hope everyone in there is ready. If not, it won't matter much, especially when the traps are sprung" He then remained quiet until they got Britney close to the door. Once that happened, it wouldn't be long until Generation X was captured.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Sean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Sean had been the last one to arrive, and he rushed to get into his tuxedo. Everyone else was ready, so he headed to a room in the back to get dressed. He would have been there with time to spare if they hadn't spent so much time in Jono's room. It took him almost no time to get into his tuxedo. He was glad that it was his own tuxedo that he was using, and not some rental. As he went to join the others, he almost tripped over something at his feet. He looked down to see Rich's cat right at his feet. The cat had chosen that spot to lay down. Sean reached down, picked up the cat, and said, "Grimore, why did ye choose that spot to lay down?" The cat responded with a loud purr. Sean then looked over and saw Rich talking with Everett and Darrett. He then called out, "Rich, lad, can Aye speak with ye for a moment?"

He watched as Rich walked over and then said, "Yes, Sean, what did you want?" He saw Rich look at the cat and then said, "Grimore, were you lying in Sean's path? You know you shouldn't be getting under foot. I'm sorry he was in your way Sean."

He just chuckled and said, "No, 'e wasn't in the way. However, I wanted to talk with you for a moment about Grimore. If ye'd like, we can talk in private." He watched as Rich nodded and they walked back, further out of ear shot of the others in the room.

When they were out of ear shot, he heard Rich say, "Emma told you about Grimore. I had a feeling she might tell you about him."

He nodded and said, "Aye, lad, she did. I understand that ye didn't want to tell us before, but are ye going to tell the others now, before we go our seperate ways." He watched as Rich shook his head. He then said, "Don't you plan on telling anyone at all?"

He watched as Rich nodded and said, "Yes, I plan to tell Darrett and Clarice once we get to England. They will be living there with Yvette and I, so they should know about him. As for the others, it's just one thing they won't know, nor will they have to worry about. Do you see why I'm holding off telling them."

Sean nodded and said, "I think I understand lad. Well, I won't press ye to tell anyone. I just hope yur choice doesn't come back to haunt ye. By the way, why is Grimore here?"

He saw Rich lower his head and motioned Sean close. Rich then said, "Grimore was cryptic about something happening today. Frankly, Sean, I'm hoping he's wrong. The only bad thing is, Grimore has an excellent track record. He knows something is going to happen today. I'm just hoping it happens after the wedding."

Sean could see the concern on Rich's face, and felt it appearing on his own. He looked at Rich, and put a hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "Lad, I hope ye are wrong. If anything happens, I feel we may not have all the X-Men to help us. Plus, Xavier is streching his ability to points he might not be able to recover from. Right now, let's hope for the best, the wedding is going to begin soon." He noticed Rich nodded and with that, they returned to the others.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Darrett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Darrett looked over at Sean and Rich. While he could tell they were talking about something important, he couldn't tell what, and that worried him. He was starting to get concerned that something was bound to go wrong. He could feel the panic rising in him. He didn't want something bad to happen today. It was his big day. The last thing he needed was something to happen, something a person he had come to trust might know about. He looked over at Everett and said, "Hey Ev, what do you think those two are talking about over there?"

He watched as Everett looked over at the two and said, "No clue, but I think it's something personal, since they are talking softly. I think it may have something to do with when you get to England."

He looked at Everett puzzled and said, "What makes you think that, Everett?" He wondered what make his father think that the conversation revolved around England.

Everett just looked at him, and he could feel a wave of bonding with his 'father' as Everett said. "Well, it only makes sense. You guys are heading to England before the day is over. Maybe it's just a small favor Sean had to ask. It could be anything. Now relax, Darrett. You are soon going to be married. Don't look for bad things to happen."

He turned to face Everett and said, "Sorry, it's just every big day for me has had tragedy in it. I mean, your death in my timeline. My mother's death as well. Everett, what kind of family did you come from?"

He could tell Everett was stunned by the question. It took a moment before the reply came. "I was my parents only natural child. They took in foster kids as well, but regardless, we are still a family. I'm just glad you are part of it, in some odd way."

Darrett knew what Everett meant. He then said, "I guess it would be odd for me to show up and say, 'Hi, I'm your grandson.' They might have heart failure. Everett, I'm proud to be your son."

He felt Everett put his hands on his shoulders as he said, "That's good to hear. Now, we have a wedding to get to, and it looks like the others are ready. Let's go out there and make this a day to remember." Darrett nodded and soon, they were on their way to the happiest day of his life.

--------------------------------


	104. A Wedding Ends In Chaos

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

A Wedding Ends In Chaos

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Rogue**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Rogue entered the hall with Ororo, Paige, and Jean. They had gotten all of Paige's things together, and were ready for when they had to leave. Now, they were ready to attend the wedding. She noticed that Godiva and Kyuukai were sitting together in one row. Some of the boys hadn't gotten there yet, but she knew part of the reason for that. They were helping Jono pack, and that was a task Jono had started on during the night. She had woken early that morning, so she could get ready and noticed movement in the room that Jono had in the school, from her room window. She then looked at Paige and said, "So, sugah, how long have you and Jono been together?"

As they headed to their seats, she heard Paige say, "Well, that's hard to say, but Ah think our relationship started not to long after we started here. Ah think Rich had helped in one of our more rocky patches."

Rogue nodded and then said, "Sounds like Rich helped you out a good deal then. I asked him for help yesterday." She thought back to the information Rich had told her the other morning. It would mean a world of change for her. She could start having a normal life, and not be afraid to touch people.

She then heard Jean say, "So that was the real reason you came along. You wanted to learn more about yourself and your power. I didn't totally believe Ororo when she told me."

Rogue looked at Ororo and said, "Ah thought you'd keep it secret, Ororo." She felt somewhat upset that her friend had shared her secret, but then her actions two days ago would have revealed much more. She then said, "You told her not long after Ah attempted to shake hands with Rich, correct?"

Ororo nodded and said, "I was concerned after that. I didn't want something bad to happen, and no one know what had happened. So I told Jean to be on the safe side. I'm guessing you spoke with Rich before he left yesterday."

She nodded and said, "That's right. Ah was worried Ah wouldn't get the chance to ask later. Now Ah know some things about myself, like my real name."

She noticed Jean's eyes went wide as she said, "He was able to find that out. What is it, Rogue?"

She was about to tell them when she heard Paige gasp and say "Oh my goodness. Is that Jono?" She turned to where everyone was looking, and saw all the guys come in, but the most amazing thing was Jono. The boy who had been lacking most of his face now had a face, and it was handsome. She saw Paige run up and kiss him right on the lips. When it was over, she heard Paige say, "How is this possible, Jono?"

She heard the boy say, "Professor Xavier is helping, but he said I can do this after enough practice. It's wonderful, luv, and worth it after that kiss." She watched as he gave Paige a smile and they went to their seats.

As Professor Xavier came over, he said, "It's good to see those two happy. They will make fine X-men when we get back to the mansion. Is everyone ready for the wedding?"

She saw everyone nod and they all sat down. She then leaned over to Professor Xavier and said, "Proffessor, Ah was wondering if you could help me with something when we get back. Ah learned that I might be able to shut off my power at will." When she finished that statement, she saw Proffessor look at her in complete surprise. Maybe she should have waited to mention this.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Xavier**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Professor Xavier was surprised by Rogue's statement. He looked over at her and said, "Rogue, how did you find out you could turn off your powers?" He had an idea who helped her find out, and if he was right, he was worried.

He heard Ororo say, "She spoke with Richard about it yesterday. He was the one who found out that she could mentally turn off her powers. I admit that is a good thing to learn. She could live a normal life and interact with us better."

His suspicions were just confirmed. He started to worry, and he could tell they could see he was worried. Soon, Jean asked him, "Professor Xavier, you are worried about something. What has you worried?"

He kept his voice low so he could talk with them, and made sure Paige and Jono weren't listening. He then said, only to his X-Men, "I fear that Rich's ability is too powerful. Look at the things he's learning just from the first time taking on powers. It's taken us years to find out things about Rogue's powers, and now she knows her powers can be turned off. Now, Rogue, I know this isn't a bad thing, but..."

He heard her say one word that stopped his train of thought. She looked at him and said, "Marie. That's what my real name is. Rich said that he found that out. Ah finally have a name."

While it was good that they now knew Rogue's name, it only intensified his worry. "This is serious. If Rich can find out stuff even we can't figure out, what is to stop him from finding out stuff we don't want found out. If he were to fall into the hands of Sinister, or the Brotherhood, there would be no stopping him from finding out our secrets. Maybe we should ask him to consider allowing a branch of the X-Men to stay with him in England. It might be best for his safety." He had a double reason for doing so. He was afraid that too much power might corrupt the boy, but he also wanted to keep an eye on him.

It was at that point he heard the wedding music start. The wedding was starting, and everyone took their seats. As the music started, he heard Jean say _"Professor, are you sure that's wise? Richard is very big on trust. This kind of action may make him stand against you, maybe not evil, but he might fear you as evil."_

Xavier thought about it for a moment and said, _"You may be right. I'll keep it as a suggestion for later, but I won't bring it up now. It would be better if he asks for the help instead of me forcing it on him. I just hope nothing happens to make him think otherwise. Last thing we need is him thinking the X-Men are against him."_ With that, he decied to focus on his mind, which was helping Jono and Kyuukai control their powers.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Kyuukai**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

As Kyuukai sat there with Godiva, she glanced over at Professor Xavier and noticed how strained he appeared. It was obvious to her that his helping her was causing him great strain. It also appeared as if he had something on his mind. She turned to Godiva as the wedding progressed and said, "Godiva, does it look like Professor Xavier is under great strain?"

She watched as Godiva looked and said, "I think you are right. He seems to be under alot of pressure. I think you aren't the only one he's helping. Did you noticed that Jono had a face?"

She looked Godiva in the eyes and said, "I was watching your eyes, and that was just to start with." She saw Godiva was blushing with that statement. She loved it when Godiva blushed. She then said, "You know, Godiva, you always look more beautiful when you blush. I should make you blush more often. I should even take a picture of it."

She then heard her say, "I don't mean that, Kyuukai. I mean now Jonothan has a face. I think Professor Xavier is helping with that. He's helping you, he's helping Jono. How much stress do you think he can take?"

Kyuukai said, "I don't know, but if that's the case, maybe I should also get a picture of Jonothan as well as a picture of you." At that she reached into her purse to get our her camera.

Godiva then looked at her and said, "You should take a picture of the wedding. You did bring the camera in, right?" She paniced and looked into her purse. She had put it in there when they came to the school, and now she needed it. As she looked, she heard Godiva say, "Kyuukai, I can't believe you took it out of your purse. We are going to miss getting pictures."

Kyuukai quickly got up and said, "I'll get it. I'll be gone for only a minute. It probably fell out where I had set down my purse." She then gave Godiva a short kiss and headed out of the room. All she needed to do was get her camera, and she saw it on the table where she had put her purse. She went over and picked it up. As she did so, one thing started to bother her. Her purse had been closed when she put it down. How had her camera gotten out?

She was almost lost in that thought when she heard a knocking on the door. She glanced over at the door and wondered for a moment who it could be. It couldn't have been an attack, because they would not knock on the door. She walked over to the door and listened for a second. Soon she heard a familiar voice say, "Anyone there, please open the door. I need help."

Kyuukai tried to look out the window to check, but couldn't see in front of the door. She did know the voice however. She cautiously said, "Britney, is that you?" She hadn't seen any of the four girls since they were sent to the school. The girls had disappeared, and Rich had said Emplate was to blame. Now, it seemed Britney had escaped.

She almost shouted when the voice said, "Yes it's me. Kyuukai, let me in. I need help." She quickly opened the door, and the look of Britney almost scared her. The girl looked like she was almost drained of life. The thought of what that monster did to her just sickened her. She knew what Emplate had done to Godiva, but this was worse. The girl had been a prisoner for months. Now she had to get Gen X to help her.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Britney**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Britney knew the plan was working. D.O.A. had transported the camera out of the purse with one of his devices. Kyuukai was then the one to take the bait. She knew Kyuukai was also too motherly for her own good. That was a fact that Emplate planned to use to their advantage, a fact that she had told them, and now she was going to exploit it. She also knew what the next words out of Kyuukai's mouth would be as she heard Kyuukai say, "Britney, what happened to you?"

Britney knew how to act this part out. She had fooled Kyuukai and Godiva into thinking that she was worried about the others. She hadn't expected the double cross in the end, but that worked to her advantage. She looked at Kyuukai and said "It was horrible. That monster kidnapped us. He manipulated me and killed the others. He's keeping Christina alive so he can capture more. It's terrible what he's done to her. She doesn't even know her own name anymore. They've broken her, and that's not the worse."

She saw the look of concern cross Kyuukai's face as she said, "Dear Lord, what happened then? Do I even want to know?"

She tried to hold in her own smile, and then looked at her and said, "They used me. They did unspeakable acts of.... I can't even say. I thought it wouldn't happen, but we couldn't stop them. We were chained to the walls. Everyone took a turn, beating me up, and.. I don't want to say what else. It was terrible. I don't even want to mention it."

She saw how concerned Kyuukai was. It was that concern she was hoping for as she said, "Listen, Britney. Let's get you in here. They have an area where they can help you recoup, and then, maybe they can help rescue Christina. There are alot of people who can help. Just come inside now."

Britney knew she has to act fast. She had to get Kyuukai to come outside. She started to stagger a bit and said, "Kyuukai, I don't know if I can make it. I feel....." She stopped speaking as she fell to the floor, in a fake faint. She hoped that Kyuukai would take the bait and step outside the door.

She was glad when Kyuukai took the bait and ran out the door. She heard Kyuukai kneel down to her level and say, "Oh my, Britney. Hang in there. I'll try to get you inside, then we'll get you help. It shouldn't take too long. Then...." It was at that time Kyuukai's words stopped. She knew what it meant. She got up and looked to see Emplate, Aura and Freeze Frame heading towards them. She smiled, knowing what it meant. Kyuukai was captured, and phase two was about to begin.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Freeze Frame**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Freeze Frame advanced with the others after he had frozen Kyuukai. They had five minutes to get her ready before she unfroze. As they got close, he also noticed D.O.A running over to the porch. As they advanced, he heard Emplate say, "Good job, Freeze Frame. Same goes to you, Britney. You both did well."

He kept his mind focused on Kyuukai, but said, "Thank you, sir. May I ask you one question?"

He watched as Emplate looked at him and said, "Wondering how phase two will work? I'll tell you. Once I use Kyuukai's powers, all the psi's will be affected. More than likely, Rich will do the dirty work of subduing all of them"

It was then he understood the plan, but he also wondered why the psi attack wouldn't affect all of them. He looked at Emplate and said, "Sir, why won't it affect everyone? Why just the psi's?"

Emplate smiled and said, "Very simple, Freeze Frame. Once I sup on Kyuukai, I will use her powers to affect all the psi's. They are more vulnerable to her powers. As for who takes care of the situation, only three can possibly handle it; Skitz, Penance, or Synch. Now, while Synch can use any psi's power, he will also fall victim to Kyuukai's power when he uses his power. Penance will most likely not be able to preform the task, which will leave her husband to do it."

He then noticed that D.O.A. had placed some sort of collar on Kyuukai as he said, "Everything is ready here, boss. She won't be able to use her powers when the psi's collapse. And these are for you, Britney." He saw D.O.A. holding some gloves. He was puzzled by that.

He then saw Kyuukai float up as Aura moved her over to them. Aura then said, "Britney, you will guard Kyuukai out here while the rest of us head in. The collar will keep her powers down, and keep her from moving. The gloves will allow you to fight off anyone who might try to save her." He watched as Aura then looked at Emplate and said, "Ready for your snack, my love."

It was then that his power stopped, and Kyuukai tried to scream in fright. He just looked at her and said, "Don't try to scream, Kyuukai. Aura is keeping your mouth shut." He watched then as Emplate place his hands on her forehead. He was feeling a rush as Emplate fed on her, and wondered which of the people they would capture he would feast on first.

When Emplate was done, he heard him say, "We are ready. I'm already using Kyuukai's power to bring down all the psychics. Hellions, let's get to the door of the hall. It's time to begin the attack." He then saw Emplate look at him, and said, "Freeze Frame, since my sisters have seperated, if you want to take out some anger on Monet, feel free too." He smiled with that thought. Emplate knew he didn't like Claudette, but would not harm her. He decided now would be a good time to vent his frustration on Monet.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Jean**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jean sat with her husband and enjoyed the wedding. It even reminded her of their wedding. She turned to Scott and said, "Isn't this lovely, dear? Everyone looks so nice. It seems so flawless for the fact that they had less than a month to get it all together."

She saw Scott nod and say, "It is very nice, but I think Rich and Yvette is footing the bill for this. I think it's their way of making up for their sudden marriage. Sort of a way to give Sean a wedding to see."

She had to nod in agreement. She could sense alot of happiness coming from Sean. But there was some other emotions in the room. Some were of anxiety, mostly due the wedding. She sensed something else in some of the anxiety. She glanced over at Godiva, who was the source of the anxiety. She realized what was wrong just at first glance. Kyuukai was missing. This worried her. She said to Scott, "I think something is wrong. Kyuukai is not in the room."

Scott glanced back and then said to her, "She's probably in the bathroom. Nothing to be to concerned about. I don't know why Godiva looks worried."

Jean looked around and noticed that Monet seemed to be having a headache. At first, that's how it looked to her, but she wasn't entirely sure. She remembered Monet mentioning the headaches before. She didn't think much of it until Emma apparently had a headache as well. She started to worry more, especially because of Kyuukai. She looked over at Scott and said, "I think we have a problem. I think Kyuukai's power is going out of control."

She saw Scott look at her and say, "I think you are right. Take a look at yourself." She quickly pulled out a compact and looked in the small mirror. What she saw scared her. She started looking her own darker self.

She then dared a glance over at Professor Xavier. She almost gasped at what she saw. Professor Xavier was starting to gain the armor that made him Onslaught. She chanced another glance around and saw all the psychic were being affected. It was worse than she feared. Maybe the Professor had stretched his power out too much. Now, they may need a powerful psychic to stop this. She looked over at Rich and Yvette and realized they were the only two who could help. Thier psychic abilities may be the only hope they had. She look over at Rich and yelled, "Richard, can you come over here!" She noticed Rich looked in her direction and hoped he understood.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Everett**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Everett watched in confusion as he saw all the psychics in the room acting strange. All of the psychics were acting different. It was as if they were acting on something long repressed. He noticed that Monet was looking at him the same way a cat would look at a caught mouse. He then noticed that Jonothan was kissing Paige like there was no tomorrow. It was if their inhibitions were stripped away. That's when he realized that Kyuukai was missing. He also heard Jean say something. He looked at Rich and said, "I think you are needed. I think Kyuukai's power got loose."

He saw Rich look around and said, "You're right. I'm going to try and stop the chaos that is starting, just be ready for when we search for Kyuukai. It's going to be up to us to find her." As Rich started to move, Everett watched him face the pastor and said, "Finish the wedding, Pastor. I have to help some people here."

He watched Rich head over to the X-Men, and then heard Yvette say, "What's going on, Everett, and why did Jean call for Rich?"

Everett looked on and said, "I think whatever Professor X did to help Kyuukai is backfiring. Whatever is happening is hitting every psi in the building." He noticed all the changes in the Emma, Monet, and even Jono. Then he saw the most disturbing change of all. He saw Professor Xavier was changing. "And now I see the biggest problem of them all. Xavier's turning into Onslaught again."

He noticed that Rich was talking with Jean. He wondered what the converstation was, but from the look on Rich's face, he could tell Rich knew how severe the situation was. He then saw Rich looking at Professor Xavier. As he watched, he heard Yvette say "Rich just told me he's going to take on Professor Xavier's ability. It might be the only way to stop all that is happening here."

Everett nodded in agreement and watched as Rich took on Professor Xavier's powers. He noticed armor was starting to form on Rich, especially when a shocked look crossed Rich's face. He also heard Yvette gasp at that time. He looked at her and saw a shocked look on her face as well. He looked at her and said, "What's wrong?"

At that moment, Everett saw all the psychics collapse. He also saw a slight glow in Rich's eyes. Apparently, Rich had knocked out all the psys. He could also see Rich was upset. Before he could even ask Rich what had happened, Rich just said, "Alright, Everett. Let's find Kyuukai. I think something happened to her, and I don't have a good feeling about it." He nodded and waited for a moment as Rich took on his powers. He even noticed that the ceremony had ended. That was a good thing. He hoped the wedding hadn't been ruined by the sudden psi problem.

He saw Rich nod, and then said, "Ok Rich, lets do the same thing as when we hunted down Darrett and Blink. At least we don't have to worry about not being able to lock on to her." He saw Rich smile at that, and then frown. He started to get the feeling something was very wrong.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Jubilee**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Jubilee watched as Everett and Rich started to head over to the door out of the hall. As the two advanced, she heard Sean say, "Everyone, let's get Jono, Emma, Monet, Jean and the Professor over here. It will be a bit easier to get them out of the room and down to the med center."

She agreed with that, but before she could move, she saw Godiva's hair lash out and grab everyone. Soon, everyone was all together where the alter was. Jubilee looked at Godiva and said, "Thanks for the help, Godiva."

She saw that Godiva still looked worried as she said, "The least I could do, but I hope Rich can find Kai. I'd be lost without her." She knew exactly what Godiva meant. She felt the same way about Everett.

She then heard Paige say, "Ah hope Jono will be alright. Whatever Rich did knocked every one of them for a loop." She had to agree with that. Jono barely had any of his psychic fire flaring. Jubilee hoped Jono would be ok.

She then heard Gabe say, "I don't think Rich would have hurt him, Paige. If there is one thing I'm sure of, he's not about to hurt his friends."

Jubilee nodded in agreement and said, "Look how long he's been here with us. He trusts us. You know how much trust means to him. It's not like anyone here doesn't trust Rich." It was then she hear Yvette make a noise and turn towards the door. Jubilee looked at Yvette and wondered for a moment if she knew something the others didn't know.

She watched as Yvette kept looking at the door. It seemed obvious to her that something was amiss. At that moment, she heard Rogue say, "Yvette, what has you spooked? Did Rich mention something to you in yur mind link?"

Jubilee was almost startled when she heard Grimore hiss, and she saw the doors strain. Something wasn't right, and Grimore knew it. Soon the door started to bulge, and as it did Rich shouted, "Look out!!!" Just then, the door shattered and flew inwards. Everyone dived either left or right. In all the chaos, she saw Everett jump over to the right side of the room, while Rich jumped left, and she saw Scott collide with him in mid jump.

Then she heard something that chilled her bones. She heard a slightly familiar voice say, "Oh, did I arrive too late for the wedding? No matter, I'm hear for the feast afterwords." She glanced at the door and was scared by what she saw. It was Emplate, but without his respirator, and his hands were glowing. It was a very scary sight, and no one was ready for battle, especially with all the psi mutants out of action. She then saw his smile, and she realized what was happening. Emplate had planned it this way.


	105. Chaos Erupts

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

Chaos Erupts

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Bishop**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Bishop was shocked at what was happening. Emplate had planned a perfect attack. He waited for everyone to be unprepared, and then somehow managed to single out the one who could do the most to hinder everyone and captured them. He then heard Godiva shout, "What did you do with, Kai?"

He saw an evil grin cross Emplate face as he said, "Don't worry, she's not dead. However, her power is quite delicious. But then, you know about what it can do, don't you?"

Bishop knew he had to do something. He knew the most about Emplate, but something bothered him. If this was the start of the Emplate War, why wasn't there a portal? It could be a trick, but with the powerful psi's out of the picture, there was too great a risk. If Emplate got a hold of Professor X, it would mean disaster. Bishop looked up and saw the Generation X kids were trying to prepare to fight, but he had to put up the first line of defense. He quickly shouted, "Cyclops, Storm, Rogue. We need to stop Emplate and his crew."

He saw Storm take to the air as she said, "I shall hold them back with the winds. Rogue, maybe you can take out Emplate's followers with your strength." He also noticed that a wind started to pick up in the room. It was a sign that Storm was about to use her power to keep Emplate's group at bay.

He was then startled when the wind stopped. He looked up at Storm to see her just floating there. Whatever had happened, he felt Emplate was somehow the cause. It wasn't until the one boy with Emplate said, "Sorry, Storm, but it looks like we need to call a time out," that his assumptions were right. Whatever was happening had him worried, and he didn't know what the cause was.

He then heard Cyclops say, "Bishop, Rich just told me the guy's name is Freeze Frame. He can stop anyone in time." When he heard that, he wondered if his own unique time situation might make him immune to Freeze Frame's power.

After hearing that news, he yelled, "Rogue, you and Cyclops, try to stop the others. I'll handle Freeze Frame. He then saw Cyclops was taking his sunglasses off, preparing to let loose one of his optic blast on Emplate and his crew.

At that moment Rogue also took to the air and, "Ah'll hit him with a punch so hard, he'll be going through the far wall of the building." He watched as she started to fly through the air, only to be stopped in mid air. He then noticed the same thing happening to Cyclops' optic blast. It was then he heard Rogue say, "What is happening?"

He then heard the girl, who had to be Aura, say, "Sorry. I can't let you harm my son's father." With a quick action, he saw Rogue and Cyclops get pushed into the wall, knocking the wind out of them. He was now the last X-Men standing.

He was then startled when Rich's cat hissed from where it was perched. He was almost puzzled when Emplate looked at the cat and said, "Don't think I forgot about you Grimore. I've learned much about you, but I think it would be better if you told everyone about your life" He then noticed both Emplate's hand and the cat were glowing.

What happened next caught him completely off guard. He heard the cat speak. It was all of a sudden that Grimore said, "Damn you, Marius. Do you know what you caused?" He was in shock when the cat spoke. He had never heard of cat speaking. He was so surprised, he didn't notice that Emplate launched a powerful engery orb and him. When it hit him, he screamed and then started to pass out. He just hoped Gen X could handle the new Emplate.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Elane**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Aura was happy when the last of the X-Men fell. Now all that was left was Generation X. She could see how shocked they all were, most likely because the cat was now speaking. She even heard Grimore continue his yelling. "Your father should have never let you grow up. You were evil as a child, and evil as you grew up. He should have also destroyed you when you were split from that creature you had created." Marius had told her about that. He had told his sister to merge all of them, the resulting creature was more powerful than all of them.

She heard Marius say, "My father thought he could reform me. He was mistaken, but you weren't. Especially when I saw you near Richard as a baby. It took me all this time to realize how fate had bound us all together. Now, as fate dictates, all of Generation X will be mine. The world will be mine."

She noticed then the Rich was getting up. He must have been still dazed by the door. She also heard Banshee say, "The three of ye to stop all of us. You may have knocked some of us out, but ye are still out numbered."

Aura looked at Sean and shot an aura hand at him, saying "Do you honestly think so. Face it, Banshee, we have you outnumered." Her aura slammed Banshee into the wall, pushing the breath out of him. When she pulled her hand back, she saw Banshee collapse to the floor.

She saw Emplate wave his hands and say, "Do you honestly think there was only three of us here? Come out my Hellions." She then heard the footfalls of the others behind them. Emplate had brought almost all of his hellions with him.

She was surprised when she heard Rich say, "So you have an army, and surprised us. Well, you're not the only one with surprises. Mancer, get some help here." It was then she had noticed that Rich hadn't opened his eyes, until now. An optic blast pushed Emplate back, and she saw Rich start running towards Blink. Cyclops power had left him, and now something was about to happen.

At that time, many of the creatures that Darrett would summon appeared in the room. Most of them were the creatures called Garthim, but she couldn't tell the others as bright flashes blinded her. She screamed as Jubilee shouted, "You forgot some old tricks, Aura." When she could see again, she saw Rich tackle Emplate into a portal, and saw the metal bugs from Daria attacking her. She staggered back in fright, and felt the battle was taking a turn for the worse. Their plan was taking a bad turn.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Mondo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

When Mondo noticed the attack on Aura, he knew there was a chance. He had seen Skitz tackle Emplate out of the area, with Blink's power. Now while some had targets, they could focus on the others. With Mancer's creatures helping to protect, he decided he needed to help. Maybe if he stopped Freeze Frame, Storm could blow many away with her weather power. In fact, before Freeze Frame used his power, he had felt a wind picking up. He also noticed that Angelo was speaking with Godiva, and they were heading outside. He also saw D.O.A. moving in on Penance. He looked at Husk, and said, "You help Penance, I'm going to stop Freeze Frame."

He saw Husk nod and say, "I don't know why he's doing that. He knows Penance's power, but it's like he's not afraid." He had to admit, that puzzled him as well.

He started to morph into the floor and say, "Don't try to figure it out now. We need to stop Emplate's forces, and then find some way to help Rich, where ever he is." With that, he was part of the floor and moved swiftly to where Freeze Frame was standing. Freeze Frame was still focused on Storm, so he decided it was time for a surprise. He just said, "Hey Freeze Frame, heads up."

He saw Freeze Frame glance around for a moment, saying, "What the...?" It was that moment that he sprung out of the floor, causing Freeze Frame to fall over. He then heard Storm fall to the ground. He hoped it wouldn't take long for her to recover from the fall and attack.

Mondo then punched Freeze Frame, sending him towards the window, but the next punch would send him out. Mondo looked at Freeze Frame and said, "You should have realized Generation X was far from defeated." He then went to throw another punch at Freeze Frame.

He was stunned when Freeze Frame ducked out of the way and said, "You got one lucky shot, but that's it. Besides, even if I lose, Emplate will still win. He's got Skitz right where he wants him, alone and outside. The only unexpected part was you all fighting back. But I'll stop you, Mondo."

The taunting was the last straw and Mondo went to punch out Freeze Frame until his fist stopped in mid air. He started to shout "What's hap..." and he realized it. Freeze Frame had put him in the time freeze, but when he came to, the scene was different from what he figured might happen if they got caught.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Ororo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

When Storm came to, she realized she wasn't flying anymore. Whatever Freeze Frame had done to her, it caused her to drop like a rock. She looked over at Freeze Frame and saw that he was focused on Mondo. Most likely, Mondo had managed to come to her aid. She also noticed that she was the only X-Men standing. She didn't see Emplate, or Skitz anywhere in the room. She also noticed that Godiva and Skin were gone, and Aura was acting blinded. She guessed that was parially due to Daria, since the girls hands and hair were missing, due to her metallic power. She then took to the air, causing the winds to blow. She looked over at Freeze Frame and said, "You have made a foolish mistake, child. Never doubt the powers of nature."

She saw him face her and say, "I can stop more people at one time. I'll stop you again, and I'll stop the weather in turn." It was at that point she caused lighting to strike the spot he was in, not enough to kill him, but enough to shock him. The resulting shock caused Mondo to return to life.

She looked at him and said, "Thank you for the help, Mondo. Now, maybe you can help keep the others in place."

She watched as he nodded and said, "Sure thing, Storm. Blow the bad guys away." She watched as he morphed into the floor and held everyone in place. Soon the winds forced all the windows open, and everyone of Emplate's goons flew out the window. As soon as the last one flew out, she calmed the wind down and went over to the others.

She looked over all there and said, "Is everyone alright? I hope no one is hurt." She could tell some were out, but if they were injured was anyone's guess. She also noticed some people were still missing, and all the psi's were still out.

Storm was almost surprised when Bishop started to get up and said, "I'll be fine. We just need to be sure everyone is still together. This wasn't it."

Storm looked at him and said, "What do you mean by that Bishop?" His comment had puzzled her. She knew of the time he came from, but something was truely bothering him. She then said, "Is it about the war that is to come?"

She watch as he nodded and said, "Yes, but there weren't two Emplate. There wasn't a portal. This is not what was supposed to happen. This wasn't the moment that started it. It's still going to happen." She realized what Bishop was going on about, but she could also sense something was happening outside. She then hoped that Skitz was safe.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Angelo**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Skin saw that things were turning around. With Daria and Jubilee's attack on Aura, and Skitz's rushing of Emplate, events were turning in Gen X's favor. He went over to Godiva and said, "Godiva, I think Emplate has Kyuukai near by. This attack was right after she disappeared. I think Emplate might have her outside. He was expecting an easy capture. I bet he has her out there, with no guards."

He noticed Godiva look to the door out and said, "Do you think he was that over confident? I don't think he wouldn't have a guard, but you are right. Kyuukai has to still be on school grounds. But how will we get outside?"

Skin smiled and said, "Hold on." With that, he felt Godiva's hair lash around him. Then, with skill he had developed through his time here. He quickly grabbed the chandelier in the main hall, and pulled him and Godiva out of the hall where the wedding was. He turned around, and saw that Emplate's forces were now on the losing side of the battle. He hoped this meant that they would be fleeing.

He started for the door when Godiva said, "Oh no, what are all those things in there?"

He looked in and smiled. "Mancer brought in extra help. I think they will be fine, now let's find Kyuukai." He watched as she nodded and the headed out the door. He then glanced over everything and looked for signs of movement. They must have hidden her somewhere around there.

He was shocked when Godiva said, "I see her. She is by that tree over there." He watched as she started to head towards it. He didn't have to think twice to realize it was a trap. He quickly reached out and grabbed her, pulling her back. She started to shout, "She's over there, Skin. We can save...." He last words were silenced when a plasma blast hit the ground she was standing at.

He glanced up to the tree line and noticed some movement. That was the guard, and who ever it was, they looked familiar. He looked at Godiva and said, "This will not be easy." It was the truth. Whoever was guarding Kyuukai, they were not going to let them leave. He also prepared for the next blast. If they shot again, he'd be out of the way. Now they needed a quick plan to get past the guard.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Godiva**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Godiva looked up to where Skin had spotted the guard. Whoever it was, they were using powers like Jubilee. As she looked, she watched for signs of movement. She had to rescue Kyuukai, but this guard was not about to let her near her lover. As she watched, she heard Skin say, "I have a feeling who it is, since it had to be someone that Kyuukai recognized."

Godiva looked at Skin and said, "Are you sure you know? Kyuukai wouldn't know anyone who would want to do the stuff Emplate does. She's too motherly, at least when we aren't alone. I don't think Emplate knew anything about that. The only way he might have learned that was..." It was then it hit her. "if he learned it from the girls. That means the one up there is Britney."

She heard a familiar voice shout, "That's right. Now stand still while I blast you." She saw the blast coming just as it started. She jumped left while Skin jumped right. She had a feeling long ago that Britney was manipulative, but she must have been manipulated by Emplate himself.

She heard Skin say, "She must have been working for him back then, but when he captured them, he revealed he tricked her. She probably agreed to join his forces, but she isn't a mutant. She shouldn't be shooting sparks like Jubilee."

Godiva knew Skin was right, and now it was time to find out how. She quickly manipulated her hair and started whipping it at the area where Britney was hiding. Soon she heard a scream as she hit her target and started striking the same spot again and again. Soon, she had destroyed Britney's hiding spot, as well as the gloves that allowed her to shoot sparks. Soon she lashed her hair around Britney and said, "Rule one, Britney. Never come between me and Kyuukai."

As she used her hair to throw Britney, she heard a crash come from the school and Skin said, "Looks like they are cleaning house. All of Emplate's goons are flying out the window."

She smiled and said, "Then little Britney is gonna join them." With that, she tossed Britney into the mess that was Emplate group. She then ran over and freed Kyuukai and said, "Are you alright, Kai?"

She felt upset when Kyuukai said, "He fed off me. He used my powers against everyone. I feel so ashamed." She saw Kyuukai had started to cry. She understood how Kai had felt, because it had happened to her.

Godiva then heard Skin gasp as he said, "I think now would be a good time to head inside. Look!" She then saw it. Over the roof of the building, a huge swirling light had appeared. At that point, she followed him inside. She also had a feeling where Rich was.

--------------------------------

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VII. Yvette**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

When Penance saw her husband disappear with Emplate, she was scared. She knew he was teleporting Emplate to the roof, but he didn't say why. The move did help boost Gen-X's morale. The only bad thing was now Skitz was alone with Emplate, and she didn't know how long he'd have until Blink's power ran out. She also had seen Godiva run out after Skin, most likely to find Kyuukai. She also saw some of Mancer's summons ready to defend. She also felt that was the best place for her, since she was now with child. She was getting ready to head over there with her hands tensed up, when she heard someone behind her. She spun around and was facing D.O.A. She saw he was holding something. She stepped back and said, "He's not going to win, D.O.A. Skitz is going to stop him. I'm not going to be his meal anymore."

She notice the grin on his face got even wider as he said, "Now, now, Penance, you should have stayed with him. Of course, that might have meant you'd be the mother of little Marcus. However, I think Emplate might ask you to help in the feedings. Of course, maybe your little one will help with that too."

That made her angry. No one was going to threaten the life of her child. She took a swipe at D.O.A. and said, "I will not let you harm my child." She saw him raise his arm in a defensive measure. It wouldn't help him. More that likely, he'd lose the arm. She didn't want him to hurt her child, or anyone for that matter. She was free of Emplate's evil grip, and she was going to stay that way.

It was then she noticed her claw had stopped. She couldn't believe that D.O.A's arm stopped her claw. There had to be something in there. She tried it again and again, and each time his arm stopped her. It didn't make any sense, until he said, "Penance, didn't you ever learn that relatives can't hurt each other directly with their powers."

It was then she realized what her dream had meant. She started to back away from D.O.A., knowing that she couldn't hurt him. As she backed away, she noticed that the item he was holding was like a ball. She just said, "Stay away from me, cousin."

Penance noticed D.O.A. grinned more as he tossed the item and it opened up into a straight jacket to hold her. She fell backwards when it started to wrap her up. As she fell, she heard D.O.A. say, "I'm glad you remembered. However, I think you forgot about my technical skills. The same ones that allowed me to create something capable of restraining you, and mimic what Hunter had created long ago." She tried to get free, but couldn't and the real horror of everything hit her. She then saw Paige was heading over to her, and that gave her hope.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VIII. Paige**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Husk had shed her skin, revealing a cast iron skin. She was heading over to Penance when she heard who D.O.A. actually was. Now they knew how Emplate found Penance in the first place. He must have been the one who told Emplate about Penance. As she approached, she heard D.O.A. say, "I knew about your abilitiy. When I found out about my own, I invented a device to detect mutants, and their abilities, before they even knew about them. It's amazing what you can build when you know how to create it."

She got closer as quietly as possible and heard Yvette say, "He won't win. He's fighting Skitz right now. Emplate will be defeated before he can hurt another."

She heard D.O.A. laugh as he said, "If all goes according to plan, Skitz won't be here when it ends. The boss plans to send him very far away. So far away, that only the boss will be able to bring him back." She could see Penance's look of fear as he said that. She also felt the wind picking up in the room. She then saw Storm flying, back in action after Freeze Frame stopped her.

Husk grabbed D.O.A., spun him around and said, "Looks to me like yuh are checking out now." She punched him so hard he flew into the maelstrom. She then grabbed Penance so she wouldn't blow away as well. As the rest of Emplate's goons flew out the windows, she looked at Penance and said, "Are you alright, Penance?"

She watched as Penance looked at her and said, "Skitz is fighting with Emplate, and it looks like Emplate has something planned for him. Emplate must have anticipated everything."

When the wind died, she set Penance down and tried to get the restraints off Penance. She then heard a noise and saw Gabe and Blink disappear. She looked at Penance and said, "I think Skitz is about to get some help."

She heard Penance sigh in relief, and said, "Maybe Gabe can help Rich stop Emplate. The two of them should be able to stop Emplate."

She then heard Skin shout as he entered, "Something weird is going on outside. It don't look natural." She ran over to one of the windows, and looked up at the odd lights about the school. It did not look good at all.

She turned to see Blink right behind her. Blink looked at her and said, "Gabe said we might want to hold on tight." Before she could ask why, she felt a force trying to pull them out the windows. Whatever Emplate had planned, it was happening now.

She then heard Jubilee say, "It sounds like one of Gateway's portal, only much bigger." It was then the words she heard D.O.A. say hit her. She glanced at Penance, who looked almost panicked as she realized the extend of those words. Whatever Emplate had planned, this would be the end of everything if Emplate won.

--------------------------------


	106. Departure

Attention: Generation X and their villians, as well as any other mutant mentioned in this story, is property of Marvel Comics. The character Richard Cale is named after family relations. Any other reference to anything copywrighted is a chance happening.

Class Dismissed

Departure

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
I. Gabe**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Gabe looked on at everyone as the fights turned in Generation X's favor. It meant that Marius's attack was failing. However, he knew that Rich and Marius were somewhere else, fighting each other one on one. Now, he had to figure where the fight was, because he knew Rich couldn't win alone. He saw Grimore run over to him. When the cat got to him, he looked down and said, "Grimore, where is Richard? Do you know where he is?"

Grimore looked at him and said, "That I don't know. I know he will survive this, but not how. You can find him. Use your mind, and focus on your gift."

Gabe nodded and did so. He had latent psychic abilities, but only used them when there was no other choice. Before he became the head of the family, he never had these abilities, which meant they weren't mutant abilities. He decided now was the time to focus on them. He was glad they weren't active during the incident with Kyuukai, but now he had to use them. Soon, he saw visions of Rich and Marius fighting a sword fight. Then he saw where they were. Rich had transported the two of them to the top of the building they were in. Now he knew what he had to do. Gabe ran over to Clarice and said, "Clarice, I need to get up to the roof. Rich is up there and needs help."

He saw Clarice nod and say, "I can get you there. I can even get you and Skitz out of there."

He shook his head and said, "Just get me up there, and then get back down here. You are going to be needed down here more. Understood?"

He saw her nod and she then grabbed his hand and said, "Hold on tight. You don't want to be stuck in between." He made sure he had a hold and soon he understood why. As they teleported, he saw the world she travelled through when she teleported. It was as if a purple haze was around him, yet while it was small, it was also huge. It was also one place he didn't want to lose his grip on the real world.

Almost instantly, they were on the roof, and she saw the sword fight. Gabe let go of Clarice and said, "Go now." He heard the sound of her teleport and then prepared himself to battle. He just hoped this wasn't the end of all their families.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
II. Marius**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emplate continued the sword fight. The dark magic sword he created kept Skitz at bay. Skitz's attack had surprised him, but he adjusted. His plan for this attack had allowed for almost all things. Now, he was going to have Skitz under his control. He also noticed that Gabe had appeared on the roof, courtousy of an escaping Blink. He also saw something that made him smile. He blocked another blow and said, "I see I'm rubbing off on you, Skitz. Your sword flame is getting dark."

He watched as Skitz stepped back and tried to strike again. "None of your mind games, Emplate. You will never threatend my wife or I again. One of us is not leaving this roof." He knew Skitz was still unaware of Gabe's presence.

Emplate quickly raised his sword and blocked the blow. As he did so, he casted a spell that pushed Skitz away from him, and right at Gabe, who managed to catch him. He looked at the two and smiled. "This is just like I wanted. Both of you, in the same spot. My plan worked, a little bit different than I planned, but it sill worked."

He heard Gabe shout. "You can't stop the two of us. Kill one, and the other will get you." He could tell those were the words of a desperate man.

Emplate quickly raised his hand into the air and chanted something. Soon a vortex appeared in the air. Emplate smiled and said, "I don't plan on killing you, just sending you someplace else. I'm sure you will be able to think about joining me while you sit in another world." Soon, the power of the vortex started to suck in all around that weren't his followers. He then saw both Gabe and Skitz begin to float.

He was almost surprised as Skitz shoved his sword into the roof, and it held. He watched as Skitz looked at him and smiled. He also saw Skitz grab Gabe's hand. He started to have a bad feeling when Skitz said, "One last surprise, Emplate." It was the one thing he didn't think would happen. Skitz not only had his ability, but his magic as well.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
III. Rich**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Skitz was lucky his sword acted as an anchor. He was also being careful not to hurt Gabe as he held on to him. He had spent to much time close to Emplate, and now had his abilities. Emplate's use of the portal spell had put both he and Gabe in a bad spot. He did have a plan, but the only problem was he needed to have one hand free. He glanced back at Gabe and said, "Gabe, can you grab my leg. I need my hand free."

Gabe looked at him and said, "What do you have in mind, and I hope it works." He watched as Gabe grabbed his leg, and he felt it as well. Gabe was using all his strength to keep his grip.

Skitz looked at Emplate, but said to Gabe, "He forgot I have his power, and also his magic." He then heard Gabe laugh at that. Now came the real trick. He had to use Emplate magic against him. He also had to act quick before he lost his grip. He held his hand and recited the same spell Emplate had.

When he stopped, he heard a second vortex open. He also heard Emplate yell, "You fool. What have you done?' He glanced over at Emplate, and saw that Emplate was now holding the roof for dear life.

Skitz knew what he had done. He had caused another portal to claim Emplate. He looked over at his foe and said, "The same thing you had planned for us. Now, we will see who takes that trip." He watched as the endurance match played out. Who would lose their grip first, and he hoped it wouldn't be him.

His prayers were answered when Emplate lost his grip and flew off into the vortex he had created. As Emplate flew off, he heard him shout, "This is not the end, Skitz. I will be back, and I will get you. No matter where you go, or where you hide, I will...." The statement was cut off as Emplate disappeared in the vortex, and both vortexes disappeared.

He fell to the roof, and was glad it was over. The nightmare was gone. He then heard Gabe say, "Who do you think will get Marius's powers now? He was head of his family."

Rich got up, looked out to where he saw Emplate's followers and saw them disappear from sight, as if some magic was in affect. He then said, "Don't know. I didn't kill him. I just sent him far away. We can only hope that when he does die, his magical powers go to Monet. Now, we need to get down."

He was almost startled when he heard a voice say, "Maybe we can help with that." He looked out to see both Synch and Storm floating up to the roof. He then heard Storm say, "You'll be happy to know all are well. All the psi's are waking up, but I think Professor Xavier may want to speak with you."

Skitz looked at her and said, "I don't think we will have time for that. Besides, I don't want to speak with him right now." He knew she was surprised, but he learned the once thing he never thought he'd have to know. Charles Xavier didn't trust him, and it appeared Xavier wanted to control him. He knew Xavier wasn't evil, but even Generation X knew trust was a big issue with him. He was now more thankful that he was moving to England.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
IV. Christina**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Christina looked down at the baby. It had been hungry and fed off one of the other girls in the cell. Of course, D.O.A., the one who tended to her, had brought the baby in. She also knew they left the child in here so he could feed. This was evident by the fact that the girl the baby had fed on was close to death. She had seen too many die in here. However, something seemed different. It was as if Emplate presence was gone. She was almost focused on that thought when she heard people outside the door to the room. Soon, the door to the room opened, and Aura and D.O.A. entered. She noticed that Aura stayed at the door, and heard her say, "Get Marcus out of there, and then grab more girls, and mutants as well."

Christina looked at Aura and said, "What happened? Why are you panicked?" It did give her good thoughts on what had happened, but she didn't want to get her hopes up.

She heard D.O.A. say, "The master is going to be gone for a while. So we must get food to last until he returns. Good thing this place is invisible." Hearing those words caused her hope to fade. She had hoped someone would be able to rescue her, but how could that happen if no one can find the place.

As she continued to reflect on those worlds, she heard Aura say, "Don't worry. You can still feed Marcus. You have alot to offer the boy." At that point, she started to cry. She realized Emplate was gone, but not dead, and she was still a prisoner. She had hoped if Emplate was defeated, that she would be free. She then started to hope for either death, or a rescue, but the former seemed more likely.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
V. Emma**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Emma sat in her office for one last time. She looked out the window to see most of the students leaving. It was almost hard for her to believe that after all this time, her kids were leaving. She had grown very motherly about her students, especailly considering what happen to her first students. She was glad they turned out well. Paige and Jonothan had left with the X-Men. Daria and Mondo had left with Godiva and Kyuukai. Everett and Jubilee had just pulled out, with Angelo going with them for part of their trip. The only students who hadn't left yet were Rich, Yvette, Darrett, Clarice and Monet. She wondered if they would keep in touch with her. She was planning to go to the Xavier's school to join up with the X-men. She was almost lost in that thought when she heard a knock at the door. She turned and said, "Come in."

She was amazed when she saw Monet enter the room. She could see and apologetic look on her face as she said, "Emma, I thought I should apologize before I leave. It's the least I could do for all the problems my brother caused."

Emma got up and walked over to Monet. She could tell Monet was deeply troubled by this. She gave Monet a hug and said, "It's alright. You didn't know he would attack today. I'm surprised he found out about everything happening."

She was shocked when Monet lowered her head and said, "That may be might fault. I think he found out about everything through me."

Emma looked at Monet and said, "Monet, with you and Claudette seperated, you know that isn't possible. This was just a fluke. There was no way he could have found out about anything."

She was stunned when Monet just said, "I think it was linked to my headaches." Emma remembered hearing Monet was having severe headaches, but she never thought they could be linked to what had happen. Apparently, Monet must have figured something out, and was about to tell her what it was before she left.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**  
VI. Monet**  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Monet looked at Emma and told her what she suspected had happened. "Emma, I think my headaches were linked to my brother spying on us. I think he was using magic to spy on us through my eyes. If I had realized it sooner, I would have told you so we could have found a way to stop him." She knew she couldn't have stopped it, and maybe none of the psi's could have stopped it. Also, from what she had heard about the fight, Marius was more powerful that even his equal couldn't stop him.

She heard Emma say, "Monet, if we had known, I don't know if we could have stopped him. It might have prompted his attack to be early. I think it was best it happened this way. No one was lost."

It didn't give her much comfort, but Emma was right. Monet smiled and said, "Emma, I'll keep in touch while I'm in Germany. Maybe assisting Gabe will allow me to understand my family's background."

Emma smiled and said, "I hope you do keep in touch. Tell the others to keep in touch too. I'll look forward to their letters while I'm with the X-Men."

Monet frowned when she heard that. She looked at Emma and said, "I don't think Rich and the others will keep in touch. When Rich took on Xavier's powers, he found out Xavier didn't truely trust him." She heard Emma gasp at that. She then said, "I don't know if that trust can be regained, but Rich won't be Xavier's enemy. He just won't want to have contact with him. Now, I should get going. They are ready to leave."

She headed for the door. Before she headed out, she heard Emma say, "Take care, Monet. We will miss you. I'll tell Sean that you'll keep in touch as well. He left a while ago." Monet nodded and left Emma's office.

She moved as fast as she could through the now quiet halls of the school. When she reached the main hall, she saw her picture was still up. When she walked up to it, she heard Yvette say, "I think you should take it down. It is a nice picture, and you should have it."

Monet nodded and said, "Yes. I think it will look good in my room in Germany." As she took it down, she asked Yvette, "Will you and Rich visit often?" She hoped they could all keep in touch, especially since both Gabe's family, and Rich's family were like an extension of her own family.

As they headed out, she heard Rich say, "Of course we will, Monet." She noticed Rich was back in his good natured self. She was happy that her brother hadn't fully affect him. Rich then said, "Besides, before you and Gabe head to Germany, you can stay at my place for a few days. How does that sound?"

Monet smiled and looked at everyone in the car. She tried to hold back the tears of joy, but couldn't as she said, "That would be the best thing for me right now. I hope we all never lose touch." With those words, she stepped into the car, and soon, they were off. It was time to move past school, and to the rest of her life.

The End.


End file.
